The pullout of Israeli troops from this West Bank town just in time for Christmas has given Palestinians a reason to celebrate.
“Christmastime this year promises to be something special,” said George Sammour, director of the Palestinian Tourism Authority in Bethlehem.
“For the first time in history, our people will feel free from occupation. [Palestine Liberation Organization leader] Yasser Arafat is coming for midnight Mass. People are very happy that peace is coming, and they are decorating their houses and the streets.”
The Israeli withdrawal, originally scheduled for Monday, was delayed to allow for the completion of a bypass road for Jewish settlers.
With Israel expected to complete the pullback by Friday – two days before Christmas Eve – this year’s Christmas events will be coordinated by the Palestinian Authority, not the Israeli government.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of Christian pilgrims flock to the town, the birthplace of Jesus and one of the holiest sites in Christianity.
Although a large number of clergy, from a variety of denominations, can be seen here, most of the 40,000 residents are, in fact, Muslim,
Christmastime in Bethlehem has been a low-key affair in recent years. During the intifada, or Palestinian uprising that began in December 1987, the holiday lost much of its festive flavor.
Heeding calls from Palestinian leaders to refrain from public displays of celebration, locals kept Christmas festivities to a bare minimum.
With the redeployment of Israeli troops from Bethlehem and other West Bank towns, people here are clearly feeling more optimistic.
To celebrate Palestinian autonomy in much of the West Bank, residents plan to turn Christmas 1995 into a day of national rejoicing.
During a pre-holiday visit to the town center, the mood was indeed upbeat. Strings of multicolored Christmas lights lined the streets around Manger Square, and storeowners were stocking up on hand-carved Nativity scenes and Christmas tree tinsel.
Pasted in the display windows, between inflatable Santas and pictures of the holy family, were pictures of a smiling Arafat.
“Things will be different this Christmas because we will be living under our own Palestinian government,” said Mohammed Khamis, owner of the Granada restaurant, opposite the Church of the Nativity.
“We’re expecting a big turnout of people from all over the world – especially Chairman Arafat – and they will be most welcome. People are so happy.”
Salem Giacaman, owner of the II Bambino souvenir shop, said, “We’re preparing for more visitors than usual by stocking more items.”
Giacaman, who said his ancestors arrived in Bethlehem during the Crusades, added, “This is as much a national holiday as a religious one. You can be sure that a lot of local people, including Muslims, will be out in the streets.”
To ensure a smooth transition – and a safe Christmas – Palestinian and Israeli officials met often in recent months to go over details.
“We sat together and gave them all the information they needed on how to run Christmas events,” said Zvi Nevo, an Israeli Ministry of Tourism liaison to the Palestinian Authority.
“We opened all our files to them and explained how we put up the stage in Manger Square, how we set up closed-circuit TV,” he said.
For the first time, Israel Television will not be providing the live feed of the festivities for networks worldwide.
The Tourism Ministry has worked with the Palestinians on transportation arrangements and publicity, he said, noting that the news releases they sent out were done with Israeli mailing labels.
Orly Doron, the ministry spokeswoman, stressed that a smooth transition is also in Israel’s best interest.
“Ultimately, we see ourselves in charge of pilgrims visiting the Holy Land. They come to Israel and some want to visit Bethlehem, so we will try to facilitate that.”
Israel has arranged transportation from all the major hotels to the checkpoint at the entrance to Bethlehem and back, she said.
“We want the Palestinians to succeed and for Christmas to be a success,” Nevo said.
Added Doron: “Our main goal is to ensure safety.”
For security reasons, Israeli officials are debating whether to allow Israeli citizens into Bethlehem on Christmas, said an Israeli army spokesman.
As of Monday, the word was that Israelis will be allowed through the checkpoints, which Israeli officials will control.
Despite the upbeat mood, some – including Christmas – feat that the Palestinians will use the redeployment as a publicity stunt.
“Arafat wants to show the world that as a host, he will do better than the Israelis,” said Jan Willem van der Hoeven, spokesman for the International Christian Embassy, a Jerusalem-based organization that brings thousands of pilgrims to Israel each year.
“The gullible world will see that he’s doing a fine job. Arafat will cozy up to Jesus so that the world will say, `Why not give him Jerusalem?'”
Van der Hoeven, a staunch supporter of Israel, asserted that relinquishing control over Bethlehem “will cost the Jewish people Jerusalem.”
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