Israel eases travel restrictions

Christmas preparations are under way in St Catherine's Church

Israel has said it will ease travel restrictions to allow Palestinian Christians to celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem.

"Christmas will be celebrated in Bethlehem with the maximum number of worshippers... from all over the world," a government spokesman said.

The Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is barred from attending Midnight Mass in Bethlehem for the third year running, after being confined to his Ramallah headquarters since December 2001 by the Israeli army.

Mr Arafat regularly attended the Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem after returning to the Palestinian territories in 1994.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Monsignor Michel Sabbah has called on Israel to lift the siege on Mr Arafat to allow him to attend Midnight Mass.

Israeli troops pulled out of Bethlehem in July after Palestinian militants declared a temporary truce.

The truce was short lived but Bethlehem remains in Palestinian control.

Bethlehem's three existing checkpoints will remain in place over the Christmas period, Israeli military sources have said.

Bethlehem's history 4BC: There is a dispute about the date of Jesus's birth, but some interpretations of the Bible put it at around 4BC. Christian tradition says Jesus was born in Bethlehem 334-339: The Church of the Nativity is built during the reign of Emperor Constantine 1099-1187: Christian Crusaders control Bethlehem 1571-1922: Ottoman Empire rules region 1922-1948: British mandate 1948-1967: Ruled by Jordan 1967-1995: Under Israeli control Dec 1995: Palestinian Authority takes control of West Bank 2001-2002: Israelis move in and out of Bethlehem

"Everyone will be checked going in and out of Bethlehem for fear weapons will be smuggled out," one security official said.

But another added that soldiers have received "special instructions not to have too many delays".

There are reports of little Christmas joy in the West Bank town, where violence has decimated the tourism-based economy.

Over the past few years, thousands of people have been thrown out of work and many shops in the town have been forced to close.

Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Nasser blames Israeli roadblocks for the dwindling number of tourists.

"Factories are closing. Souvenir shops are going bankrupt," he told Reuters.

He said the per capita income of Bethlehem people had dropped from $2,400 a year before the uprising to only $400, while unemployment had risen to 60%.

Israel's foreign ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said 100,000 tourists were expected in Israel over the Christmas period - an increase on previous years since the latest Palestinian uprising broke in September 2000.