JERUSALEM – Israel will ease access to Bethlehem during Christmas in a “calculated risk” meant to let Christian pilgrims celebrate the holiday freely in the West Bank town, security officials said Monday.
Israeli Lt. Col. Aviv Feigel said pilgrims will not need permission from the army to enter the town, revered as the birthplace of Jesus. The military also will try to speed entry by conducting spot checks of random tourist buses rather than checking every bus, he said.
Arab Israelis and Christian Palestinians will be allowed to drive into Bethlehem, Feigel said.
“We are taking a calculated risk by easing steps, and that is because we are well aware of the importance of Bethlehem,” Feigel said.
He also said Palestinian Christians will be allowed into Israel to visit family. Restrictions are to be eased starting Saturday until Jan. 18, when the Armenian church celebrates Christmas, he said.
Checkpoints erected around West Bank towns and cities frequently cause logjams of passengers and vehicles. Palestinian officials complain about the checkpoints and say they also worry that a barrier Israel is building in the West Bank – cutting Bethlehem off from Jerusalem – will keep tourists from visiting.
Feigel said a new checkpoint between Bethlehem and Jerusalem that has been operating since Nov. 15 has not reduced the number of tourists.
The number of visitors to Bethlehem increased last year as violence decreased, and more were expected this year.
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