Israeli fence criticised at Christmas mass

[Scurrilous]

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=13344998

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"Amidst record low-turnout of faithfuls at the Church of Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, the Christmas celebrations were muted with Palestinians using the stage to decry the construction of the disputed Israeli fence.
As people started to throng a sparcely decorated manger square, the centre of activity, "Jingle Bells" and "Auld Lang Syne" welcomed them on loudspeakers alongwith an enormous depiction of Yasser Arafat and several banners slamming the security fence.

The banners read, "Stop the Wall" and "Don't Strangulate Bethlehem." Bethlehem Mayor Hanna Nasser, who received the Latin Patriarch, talking to the reporters blamed the lacklustrous festivities on Israel and the security fence. "The fence is devastating the city of Bethlehem, dividing it from the city of Jerusalem." Relatives of the 26 Palestinian gunmen who were expelled after being holed up in a monthlong standoff with Israeli forces in May 2002 also gathered in front of the church demanding their return."