Israel bars Gaza’s Christians from visiting Bethlehem and Jerusalem at Christmas
December 12, 2019 - Reuters
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-palestinians-gaza-christmas-idUSKBN1YG2E9
▻https://s1.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20191212&t=2&i=1463370101&w=1200&r=LYNXMPEFBB1X2
Gazan Christians will be granted permits to travel abroad but none will be allowed to go to Israel and the occupied West Bank, home to many sites holy to Christians, a spokeswoman for Israel’s military liaison to the Palestinians said.
Israel tightly restricts movements out of the Gaza Strip, territory controlled by Hamas, an Islamist group that it considers a terrorist organization.
The spokeswoman said that following “security orders”, Gazans would be allowed to travel abroad via Israel’s Allenby Bridge border crossing with Jordan but not to visit cities in Israel or the West Bank.
Gaza has only around 1,000 Christians - most of them Greek Orthodox - among a population of 2 million in the narrow coastal strip.
This year’s decision is a break with usual policy. Last year, Israel granted permits for close to 700 Gazan Christians to travel to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth and other holy cities that draw thousands of pilgrims each holiday season. (...)
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