Tourism Suffers in Bethlehem, But Hamas Might Help

Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 12.12.06 | 2:23 PM ET

The Biblical town of Bethlehem should be a pretty big tourist draw for Christians right about now, but in recent years, Israeli-Palestinian fighting has sunk tourism. Gone are the tens of thousands of pilgrims who arrived each month before the Palestinian uprising in 2000. And now, with just a couple of weeks to go before Christmas, the town is barely decorated and you can still find “Islamic Jihad” graffiti around. But according to the AP, the Hamas government has vowed to pitch in $50,000 to spruce up the town for visitors. As Diaa Hadid writes, “Islamic militants may be in charge, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be Christmas this year.”