Bethlehem Packed with Holiday Revelers

As we go to press, thousands of holiday revelers from around the world are pouring into the region to celebrate Christmas in the land of its origins.  Aided by spring-like weather and Israel’s relaxation of travel restrictions — on Christians who live in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank — all indicators point to a record outpouring into Bethlehem’s Manger Square and visits to what tradition says is the spot upon which Jesus was born inside the Church of the Nativity. It is there where Midnight Mass will be celebrated Tuesday night. In Israel,  Jerusalem is bustling as many thousands of Christians arrive for Christmas while Jews commemorate the festival of Chanukah.