The trickle of tourists is sometimes scarcely enough to fill a manger, let alone an inn, but Bethlehem's Palestinians are hopeful that numbers will rise in the month before Christmas. The traditional birthplace of Jesus was all but shuttered by the pandemic last year, ravaging the tourism-dependent economy and leading some hoteliers to consider selling up. But this year Israel has eased curbs on foreign tourists in time for Christmas, although everyone remains wary of a winter coronavirus wave. Foreign tourists stand in Manger Square as they visit the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 18, 2021. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma While grateful for the return of some foreign tourists and Christian Palestinians from the West Bank and Israel, it is a f...
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