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| Damaged Virgin Mary statue in Bethlehem. |
With Christmas just some hours away, tensions are simmering in the city of Bethlehem, Jesus birthplace and the region over President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The controversial December 6 announcement by Trump unleashed demonstrations and clashes, including in the Israeli-occupied Bethlehem, where Christians will mark the birth of Jesus in a midnight mass.
Bethlehem is normally flooded by tourists at this time of year, but has at times appeared almost empty of visitors as nearby clashes between Palestinian protesters and the Israeli army keep people away.
Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, said “dozens” of groups had pulled out of planned visits after being scared off by the announcement and subsequent violence.
“Of course this created a tension around Jerusalem and this diverted attention from Christmas,” the Catholic church’s top official in Jerusalem said of Trump’s announcement, but stressing that Christmas celebrations would go ahead as planned.
Of course the official word is that tourism is up, but that is from Netanyahu's ministry of tourism, so much like what comes out of the Trump White House it should probably be completely disregarded.
That is of course unless you would choose to believe a government official trying to tamp down fears of possible violence in such a sacred place, or an archbishop who is merely observing the facts on the ground.
I really think this declaring of Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel is going to have long term negative effects on the region that could long outlive Trump's hopefully brief presidency.
Source http://ift.tt/2zsz01M
