Christmas in Bethlehem - 2008

Security coordination between Israeli Defense Forces and Palestinian forces under President Mahmoud Abbas has allowed crowds of visitors and tourists into Bethlehem for the first time in years.

Christians celebrated Bethlehem's merriest Christmas in eight years Wednesday, with hotels booked solid, Manger Square bustling with families and Israeli and Palestinian forces cooperating to make things run smoothly.

Outside the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, good-natured crowds of pilgrims and townspeople gathered for the midnight Catholic mass that is the holiday's highlight.

Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal said in an address during the late-night service that true security comes from God.

"War does not produce peace, prisons do not guarantee stability. The highest of walls do not assure security," said Twal, the Catholic Church's top cleric in the Holy Land. "Peace is a gift of God, and only God can give that peace."

Pope Benedict XVI also spoke of peace between Israelis and Palestinians during Midnight Mass at the Vatican.

With enhanced security, the Palestinians have seen more than a million visitors to Bethlehem this year, a fifty-fold increase over 2007.

Three sides of Bethlehem have fences and concrete slabs built by the Israelis as a barrier to prevent suicide attacks. The Palestinians complain but they will benefit from the increased security. An influx of tourists will surely boost the economy.