BIRTHPLACE OF JESUS Pilgrims in Bethlehem express hope

Relations have improved between Israel and the Palestinian leadership.
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) -- Several thousand pilgrims celebrated Christmas Eve in the traditional birthplace of Jesus on Friday, welcoming the new thaw in Israeli-Palestinian relations and voicing hopes for peace in the Middle East.
While the crowds were larger than in recent years, the numbers were far smaller than during the boom period of the 1990s, when tens of thousands of people would flood into the West Bank town for Christmas. Many of Friday's visitors were local Palestinians, and in a cold, bitter rain, shopkeepers lamented that business remained in the doldrums.
Still, there was plenty to be merry about. After four years of fighting, there has been a marked warming of relations between Israel and the new Palestinian leadership since Yasser Arafat died last month.
In a sign of the growing cooperation, interim Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was allowed to join the celebration, where he was greeted by cheering crowds. Israel prevented Arafat from attending the celebration since 2001, accusing him of advocating violence.
Quotable
"It's a troubled time in the Middle East, but we live in hope," said Joyce Maykut, 55, a Canadian lawyer who came from her home in the United Arab Emirates. She said the hopeful atmosphere in the region attracted her to Bethlehem, despite safety concerns.
The celebrations in Bethlehem came as Christians around the world marked the holiday. At the Vatican, Pope John Paul II lighted a candle for peace in his window before celebrating midnight Mass.
All through the day, pilgrims descended on St. Peter's Square, admiring the 100-year-old Christmas tree and a new fleet of Italian police minicars deployed in the latest security measure for the already heavily protected piazza.
The pope, who was a staunch opponent of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, said in a recent peace message that "violence is an unacceptable evil that never solves problems."
The celebratory atmosphere in Bethlehem was a welcome contrast to recent years. During the fighting, Bethlehem has been ringed by Israeli checkpoints and a huge separation barrier has been erected.
However, on Christmas Eve, troops handed out candy as they allowed pilgrims, including Palestinians from throughout the West Bank, to pass easily through the roadblocks.
Abbas arrived in a large convoy Friday evening, the first time a Palestinian leader had been permitted to join the celebrations in four years. During the years Arafat was barred, a seat in the front row of St. Catherine's Church on Manger Square was left symbolically empty and draped in an Arabic headdress during the midnight Mass in respect for Arafat.
The celebration gave an important boost to Abbas, who is seen as the front-runner in the Palestinian presidential election Jan. 9. He received a loud ovation when he arrived and was mobbed by Palestinians whenever he appeared in public. Abbas, a Muslim, also stopped at a mosque to pray.
"We ask God and wish that all the religions in this country will live in peace and security," Abbas said. "I hope next year will be much better than the previous ones."
Sharon's greetings
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon sent Christmas greetings.
Lt. Col. Aviv Feigel, head of the Israeli military liaison in the area, praised the close cooperation with his Palestinian counterparts for this year's celebration. "We certainly hope that these events are a positive sign for the future," he told Israel Radio.
Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, a vocal critic of Israel, kicked off the celebrations by leading a midday procession of about 1,000 Christians through Bethlehem. A Palestinian scout group band accompanied them, playing bagpipes and clashing cymbals.
By early evening, much of the crowd had cleared from Manger Square -- the stone-paved courtyard outside the Church of the Nativity, which Christians believe is built on the grotto where Jesus was born. Several hundred people, mostly Palestinian teenagers, wandered the streets in a bitter rain.