The Rev. Israel Acrelius, Provost of Swedish Lutheran Church in America, decided he wanted to find out for himself. He and several other Lutheran divines would go to Bethlehem and get to the ...

Around half of the population in the Bethlehem area, including nearby villages, works in either tourism or in jobs in Israel ... it’s part of his family’s history. “We are not feeling ...

Bethlehem is an important center in the history of Christianity ... There are about 182,000 in Israel, 50,000 in the West Bank and Jerusalem and 1,300 in Gaza, according to the U.S. State Department.

Meanwhile, an Israeli-built wall partially encircles Bethlehem, cutting it off from Jerusalem and stifling homebuilding and urban growth. Israel says the wall is a necessary security measure to ...

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters ... that even Palestinian Christians in Israel and the other parts of the West Bank cannot visit Bethlehem to pray there for Christmas.

Around half of the population in the Bethlehem area, including nearby villages, works in either tourism or in jobs in Israel ... it’s part of his family’s history. “We are not feeling ...