Christmas celebrations have taken place in the West Bank town of Bethlehem - the birthplace of Jesus. Richard Miron reports.

Thousands of people gathered in Bethlehem's Manger Square to celebrate Christmas. The square, normally crowded with tourist buses, was packed with people.

Palestinians - Muslims as well as Christians - came from all over the West Bank to Bethlehem to celebrate what they see as a national as well as religious occasion.

Palestinian flags along with Christmas trees and decorative lights adorned the square, and the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, along with his Christian-born wife, Suha, attended midnight mass in the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus.

This is the third Christmas in Bethlehem since the Palestinian Authority took control of the town. But many here say that this year has marked a decline in the economic and political situation.

In his address during midnight mass, the Latin Patriarch spoke of the suffering of the people and his concern that it could lead to violence. But while politics is of obvious concern, most Palestinians were intent on celebrating Christmas, whether they were Christian or Muslim.
 

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