Israel says record number visited Jesus birthplace this year

(December 28, 2010) A record number of pilgrims took part in Christmas celebrations in Jesus’ birthplace Bethlehem as tens of thousands of the faithful crowded the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square. Israeli military officials, who coordinate movement in and out of the West Bank, said over 100,000 pilgrims came to the town since Christmas Eve, compared to about 50,000 last year. They also said this was the merriest Christmas seen in Bethlehem in years with the highest number of visitors for the holiday since the second Palestinian uprising in 2000. At present, only a third of Bethlehem’s 50,000 residents is Christian. In 1950, Christians represented 75 per cent of the population, but war and economic hardships have pushed many to leave. However, the local economy has been picking up and the recovery of religious tourism is an indication of the turnaround.