Tony Blair stayed at a Bethlehem hotel in a drive to boost tourism to the Palestinian Authority.
Blair, who became envoy to the Quartet of Israeli-Palestinian peace mediators after stepping down as British prime minister earlier this year, spent Tuesday night at a luxury Bethlehem hotel, telling reporters that his message was: “It’s a safe and good place to come and visit.”
Christians revere the West Bank town as the place of Jesus’ birth, but it has suffered a significant drop in yuletide tourism in recent years. Blair has argued that boosting the economy of Bethlehem and other Palestinian Authority areas is a key to reviving peace talks.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.