Bethlehem ready for Christmas celebrations скачать в хорошем качестве

Bethlehem ready for Christmas celebrations

(24 Dec 2025) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Bethlehem, West Bank - 24 December 2025 1. Various of scouts performing 2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Maher Canawati, Mayor of Bethlehem: "Merry Christmas from Bethlehem to all the people of the world. Today, we are ready to welcome the Patriarch, ready to celebrate the holiday. The spirit is very high, and joy is present among all the people in the city of Bethlehem. We would like to send a message from Bethlehem to all our people around the world, a message of hope and resilience, and also a message to the whole world that the Palestinian people love life and peace." 3. Palestinian security and Church of Nativity in the background before sunrise 4. Church of Nativity bell tower 5. Wide of Manager square 6. Various of Palestinian security STORYLINE: The city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank finished its last-minute preparations on Christmas Eve, ready to usher in the celebrations. For the past two years, as the war in Gaza dragged on, Christmas in Bethlehem has been a somber affair, without the traditional festivities and decorations and music. But this year, families are flocking again to Manger Square, signaling hope about the fragile ceasefire and providing a much-needed economic boost to Bethlehem. On Wednesday, smartly dressed scouts once again marched through the streets with their snare drums and bugles, vendors hawked their wares, and visitors streamed into the Church of the Nativity. "The spirit is very high, and joy is present among all the people in the city of Bethlehem," said Mayor Maher Canawati. At midnight on Christmas Eve, the words of the traditional hymn “The Night of Christmas” will ring out in the tiny grotto in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born. AP video by Imad Isseid =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...