Christmas peace calls ring out in Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM, West Bank, Dec 25 (Reuters) Bethlehem celebrated Christmas today with calls for peace in a town, where Christians believe Jesus was born, that has been hard hit by economic woes and Israeli travel restrictions.

Hundreds of pilgrims gathered in Manger Square, decorated with coloured lights and Christmas trees. Worshippers also flocked to the grotto of the Church of the Nativity, revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus.

The traditional midnight mass was celebrated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas present and Manger Square was awash with the soft sounds of hymns and church bells.

In an address, the Roman Catholic Church's leader in the Holy Land, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, called for an end to fighting between Palestinian factions and for the revival of long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.

''We call on Israeli and Palestinian officials to take new steps to put an end to the killing and lead our two peoples to a new period,'' said Sabbah, a Palestinian.

Sabbah urged Palestinians to ''put your weapons down and return to talking''. ''Shooting between brothers is not the road to freedom,'' he said.

VIOLENCE Despite the festivities, many Bethlehem residents felt they had little to celebrate after weeks of violence in the Palestinian territories between Abbas's Fatah faction and the Hamas militant group that won parliamentary polls in January.

''We need peace even more so now,'' said Hanna abu Eita, a 60-year-old Christian. ''We only want a chance to live.'' Life in Bethlehem has deteriorated with residents finding it difficult to reach jobs in Jerusalem and West Bank towns like Hebron due to Israeli checkpoints and an Israeli barrier that cuts into West Bank land that Palestinians want for a state.

Israel says the barrier, made up of a mix of wire fencing and concrete walls, is meant to keep out suicide bombers.

Western sanctions on the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority have hit government employees, many of whom have not been paid for months.

The West wants Hamas, sworn to Israel's destruction, to change its stance as the main condition for renewing aid.

Israel's army eased travel restrictions to allow foreigners as well as Israeli and Palestinian Christians from the West Bank and Gaza to visit the town over Christmas.

''I think it is wonderful that people can gather here to celebrate Christmas no matter what their faith is,'' said Brandi Webster, 25, from the United States. ''(Bethlehem) does resonate within your heart and strikes up hope.'' But tourism, the lifeblood of Bethlehem's economy, has fallen sharply since a Palestinian uprising erupted in 2000. The average number of visitors has fallen to as low as 20,000 a month from about 100,000 before the uprising.

Unemployment is estimated at about 65 percent.

''People are finding it hard to find work and Christians are leaving,'' said Hanna abu Hanak, a 24-year-old Christian resident.

''At Christmas we come together in Bethlehem and celebrate this special moment.'' REUTERS MQA RN0723