Dubai: Today millions of Christians around the world will freely go into churches and sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and hear stories of Nazareth and Jerusalem, but most are unaware that Christians of Palestine, the birth place of Jesus and Christianity, need permission to celebrate Christmas and attend masses.
Last week Mahmoud Abbas president of the Palestinian National Authority, called upon Israeli authority to decrease their yearly measures against Christians and allow them to get to their churches.
Later on the Israeli army announced that special measures will take place to ease the movement of Palestinian Christians from the West Bank and Gaza for seasonal celebrations.
The West Bank Christians will be allowed to visit holy places in the period up to January 20, the army said in a statement, without saying how many would be allowed in. A further 500 permits will be given to Christians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to take part in religious ceremonies over the Christmas period.
However these will only be available to the under-16s and the over-45s, the special allowances of course are appreciated and welcomed by the Christians, as years before they were killed to try to get to their churches on Christmas Eve.
This explains why the Christian population in the Holy Land has shrunk from 20% in 1948 to less than 2% today. And as the whole Arab world is uprising for freedom and liberty, Palestinians are being deprived from their most simple rights - from praying, and celebrating.
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