Premier Shimon Peres and several Cabinet ministers attended the annual Christmas Eve reception given by Mayor Elias Freij of Bethlehem last night. It was the second such gathering attended by Peres since he became Prime Minister and was free of the tension that often marks meetings between Israeli officialdom and West Bank Palestinian dignitaries.
Peres spoke optimistically of the “air of peace” blowing in the region and expressed hope that direct negotiations will be achieved in the coming year between Israel and moderate Palestinians. He also saw improved relations with Egypt and a settlement of the Taba border dispute.
Peres was accompanied by Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Police Minister Haim Barlev, Communications Minister Amnon Rubinstein and Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem. There were Israeli army officers and foreign diplomats present, mingling with West Bank leaders ranging from moderates like Freij and pro-Jordanians to acknowledged backers of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
The guests included Hanna Seniora, editor of the East Jerusalem Arabic daily Al Fajr, who has been mentioned as a possible Palestinian member of a joint Jordanian-Palestinian peace delegation; U.S. Ambassador Thomas Pickering; and Wat Claverius, the U.S. Consul General in East Jerusalem, soon to be the Reagan Administration’s special envoy to the Middle East.
HOPES FOR THE NEW YEAR
Mayor Kollek and Peres both expressed hope that the festive occasion in “the city of peace” would mark the beginning of a peaceful year. Peres noted that since the Christmas reception last year, the Middle East has seen the end of one war, the war in Lebanon. Now there is a chance to complete an agreement with Egypt over Taba “and a possible bridge to solve the conflict with both Jordan and the Palestinians,” Peres said.
The annual pilgrimage to Bethlehem was as colorful as ever. But there was a sharp drop in the number of visitors. Israeli officials said tourism was off 20 percent from last year, possibly because of fear of terrorist acts since the Achille Lauro hijacking in October.
Security was tight. Israeli soldiers and border police, armed with submachineguns, patrolled the streets and alleyways of the ancient city and kept vigil from rooftops. Manger Square, where Roman Catholics celebrated mass at St. Catherine’s Basilica and Greek Orthodox celebrants attended the Church of the Nativity, was cordoned off by troops who required all people entering to pass through metal detectors.
The Greek Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas next month.
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