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Like many Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip who have been unable to travel to Bethlehem due to Israel's tight restrictions, Yasser Arafat, a Muslim, was banned by Israel for the third straight year from attending midnight Mass and other Christmas celebrations.
"This is part of the failed Israeli attempt to harm the morale of the Palestinian people, especially in these sacred days, which commemorate the birth of our master," Arafat said from his Ramallah headquarters, where he has been confined for a year and a half.
In the church on Christmas Eve, a front-row seat was left empty for the veteran leader. The seat was draped with a black-and-white checkered headscarf, like the one Arafat wears. A sign on the seat read: "Yasser Arafat, president of the State of Palestine."
Arafat had attended Christmas Eve celebrations every year after Israel turned the town over to Palestinian control in December 1995.
At midnight Mass, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, struck a political chord in his homily, saying "the separation wall will give no security and no peace."
"The sacrifices of these years will not be for nothing if those responsible conclude the true results, rather than concluding that building the wall is the true solution," said Sabbah, the highest-ranking Catholic official in the Holy Land.
"The true results are that war destroys people and places and does not silence a people that demands its freedom," he added.
www.cbsnews.com...
originally posted by: Revolution9
THIS POST IS PROPAGANDA.
The OP is deliberately telling one bit of news without giving the context. The reality is THIS:
www.jpost.com...
Nazareth to observe most Christmas festivities despite anger over Trump
Nazareth Mayor Ali Salam decided Thursday to keep most Christmas festivities intact despite anger over US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “Our message is we love Jerusalem, we’ll never abandon you under any circumstances,” he said at a press conference in which he announced that singing performances on outdoor stages that are normally part of Nazareth’s Christmas Market would be canceled.
OP, you and your sources are deliberately exaggerating the issue to serve your own political interests. You have made it out that the Mayor has cancelled everything when it is only a minority of carol singing gatherings that will be affected. These precautions have to be taken for the sake of the tourists' security, as well as the security of the performers, Israelis and Palestinians. Would you like to see an atrocity happen, OP? Do you get off on that sort of thing so you can use it as yet more propaganda fodder against Israel?
You are deliberately winding the situation up by doing this. You are CONTRIBUTING to the unrest. That is disgusting.
You have not been honest with ATS by doing this and I had to CLEARLY point this out.
This is the REAL NEWS:
www.jpost.com...
Post Poll: Skyrocketing support for Trump among Israelis
At a time when President Donald Trump’s popularity has fallen in his own country, his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and start the process of moving the US Embassy there from Tel Aviv has significantly increased his support among Israelis, according to a Smith Research poll taken on Wednesday for The Jerusalem Post.
Happy Holidays, OP. Take some of that advice you are dishing out to others - deny your own ignorance!
Like many Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip who have been unable to travel to Bethlehem due to Israel's tight restrictions, Yasser Arafat, a Muslim, was banned by Israel for the third straight year from attending midnight Mass and other Christmas celebrations.
www.cbsnews.com...
Bethlehem now has a Muslim majority, but is still home to a significant Palestinian Christian community. Bethlehem's chief economic sector is tourism, which peaks during the Christmas season when Christians make pilgrimage to the Church of the Nativity, as they have done for almost 2,000 years.
en.wikipedia.org...
originally posted by: Revolution9
THIS POST IS PROPAGANDA.
The OP is deliberately telling one bit of news without giving the context. The reality is THIS:
www.jpost.com...
Nazareth to observe most Christmas festivities despite anger over Trump
Nazareth Mayor Ali Salam decided Thursday to keep most Christmas festivities intact despite anger over US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “Our message is we love Jerusalem, we’ll never abandon you under any circumstances,” he said at a press conference in which he announced that singing performances on outdoor stages that are normally part of Nazareth’s Christmas Market would be canceled.
OP, you and your sources are deliberately exaggerating the issue to serve your own political interests. You have made it out that the Mayor has cancelled everything when it is only a minority of carol singing gatherings that will be affected. These precautions have to be taken for the sake of the tourists' security, as well as the security of the performers, Israelis and Palestinians. Would you like to see an atrocity happen, OP? Do you get off on that sort of thing so you can use it as yet more propaganda fodder against Israel?
You are deliberately winding the situation up by doing this. You are CONTRIBUTING to the unrest. That is disgusting.
You have not been honest with ATS by doing this and I had to CLEARLY point this out.
This is the REAL NEWS:
www.jpost.com...
Post Poll: Skyrocketing support for Trump among Israelis
At a time when President Donald Trump’s popularity has fallen in his own country, his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and start the process of moving the US Embassy there from Tel Aviv has significantly increased his support among Israelis, according to a Smith Research poll taken on Wednesday for The Jerusalem Post.
Happy Holidays, OP. Take some of that advice you are dishing out to others - deny your own ignorance!
originally posted by: dawnstar
a reply to: JDmOKI
so, you saying that the bethleham church won't be holding mass this year?? are they going door to door hauling away the christmas decorations out of the houses?
or is it that some of the festivities have been cancelled?
I think it's the latter??
originally posted by: Josephus
a reply to: enlightenedservant
Christian zionism is a hard nut to crack.
originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: underwerks
.
Christmas is still Christmas, irregardless of whether Nazareth holds ceremonies, or not.