WEST BANK: CONFLICT IN THE HOLY LAND MEANS THAT FAR FEWER PILGRIMS THAN USUAL ARRIVE IN THE JERUSALEM AND BETHLEHEM

Record ID: 566183

  • Title: WEST BANK: CONFLICT IN THE HOLY LAND MEANS THAT FAR FEWER PILGRIMS THAN USUAL ARRIVE IN THE JERUSALEM AND BETHLEHEM
  • Date: 11th April 2001
  • Summary: BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (APRIL 11, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. CU DETAIL OF CHRIST IN PAINTING OF THE LAST SUPPER 0.04 2. SV PAINTING OF THE LAST SUPPER 0.10 3. CU WOODEN FIGURINE OF JESUS CARRYING A CROSS 0.15 4. CU WOODEN CARVING OF JESUS' FACE 0.19 5. SLV TOURIST STORE IN BETHLEHEM WITH NO CUSTOMERS 0.24 6. SLV MAN SEATED OUTSIDE STORE SELLING TOURIST TRINKETS NEAR MANGER SQUARE 0.29 7. LV NUNS WALKING ACROSS MANGER SQUARE TOWARDS CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY 0.38 8. SV PALESTINIAN FLAG FLYING ABOVE TRINKETS ON OUTDOOR STORE NEAR MANGER SQUARE 0.42 9. CU FIGURE OF CHRIST ON THE CROSS 0.46 10. SV STORE MANAGER SILEEN KHADER IN STORE 0.54 11. CU BABY JESUS FIGURES ON SHELF 0.57 12. MCU (English) STORE OWNER SILEEN KHADER SAYING: "I opened it (the store) just to clean it from the dust, just from six months I am opening my shop as to clean it from the dust. There is no tourists." 1.11 13. SV BETHLEHEM MAYOR HANNA NASSER TALKING TO ANOTHER MAN IN MANGER SQUARE 1.14 14. MCU NASSER 1.19 15. SV CHURCH SPIRES (2 SHOTS) 1.25 16. LAS MINARET 1.28 17. SLV STAGE IN MANGER SQUARE PREPARED FOR MILLENNIUM CELEBRATIONS AND PUBLIC EVENTS 1.33 18. MCU NASSER TALKING TO LOCAL BUSINESSMAN AT COFFEE SHOP 1.37 19. SV TWO MEN TALKING 1.42 20. MCU (English) NASSER SAYING: "It is very obvious those that are sitting abroad, when they see on TV while sitting outside, on the satellites, the daily attacks by the Israeli army on the Palestinian civilians in Bethlehem and the other Palestinian cities, it is very normal that they would be scared to come and visit the holy places - Jerusalem and the holy city of Bethlehem. "Plus, what makes it more difficult, we do not have any free accesses to the city of Bethlehem. We have a completely tight closure of the city of Bethlehem, a besieged city. The city is mostly deserted.You don't see any people here, because the Israeli army, they are denying free access to the city of Bethlehem, and this is very bad, this is one of the main reasons, really." 2.44 NEAR BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 21. TV OF MILITARY BLOCKADE ON APPROACH ROAD TO BETHLEHEM 2.49 22. LAS BULLDOZER BLOCKING ROAD WHILE ISRAELI SOLDIER DIRECTS DRIVER 2.55 23. LV/LAS CARS WAITING AT ROADBLOCKS/PALESTINIAN WOMEN WALKING OVER EARTHEN BLOCKADE (2 SHOTS) 3.20 BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (APRIL 11, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 24. CU MAN SCULPTING TOURIST FIGURINES 3.26 25. LAS OF MAN MAKING FIGURINES 3.28 26. CU DRILL BIT USED TO MAKE TOURIST FIGURINES 3.33 27. MCU MAN WORKING/MAN USING LATHE (2 SHOTS) 3.44 28. CU FIGURINES 3.49 29. PAN STREET IN BETHLEHEM WITH SHUTTERED SHOP FRONTS 4.02 30. SV SHOP OWNER BATISH ABU SALEEM, SITTING DOWN NEXT TO HIS ROADSIDE SHOP 4.10 31. CU TOURIST TRINKETS 4.13 32. MCU (English) SALEEM, SAYING: "If they allow the buses into Bethlehem and the tourists come free(ly), it will be very nice. Today, it is come just 100, 150 persons. Before one year, five thousand come here." 4.29 33. LV EMPTY MANGER SQUARE 4.35 34. SLV MURAL NEAR TOURIST SHOPS 4.38 35. SLV LOCKED SHOP FRONTS 4.42 36. CU OF SHUTTERS 4.44 37. CU PADLOCK ON SHUTTER 4.48 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 26th April 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BETHLEHEM AND NEAR BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Reuters ID: LVADZCT78YP7TWKIP57VWI9AM8E3
  • Story Text: Conflict in the Holy Land has meant that far fewer
    pilgrims than usual have arrived in the Jerusalem to
    commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus. But, just kilometres
    from where Jesus was crucified, the town where he was born is
    suffering far more from the loss of tourist revenue than
    neighbouring Jerusalem.



    The face of Jesus stares out from stores in the West
    Bank town of Bethlehem, awaiting Christian pilgrims who
    usually snap up the wooden figurines and other trinkets by the
    dozen.

    But, as Christian pilgrims began the Easter celebrations
    in Jerusalem, retracing Jesus's walk to crucifixion, the town
    where Jesus was born was unusually still.

    Devout Christians have braved wars and ruthless rulers for
    nearly 2,000 years to make the pilgrimage in the footsteps of
    Jesus along the Via Dolorosa in the old quarter of Arab East
    Jerusalem.

    And, most years, thousands of Christian pilgrims visiting
    Jerusalem have made the trip of just a few kilometres to the
    neighbouring town of Bethlehem.

    Income generated by the tourists has provided thousands of
    workers, traders and hoteliers with a livelihood.

    But six months of violence between Israel and the
    Palestinians have wrought havoc with the tourist trade in
    Bethlehem.

    Store keepers like Sileen Khader say they have hardly
    bothered to open their stores -- other than to dust off their
    stock.

    As a result of the lack of tourist dollars, thousands of
    the town's residents are in dire financial straits.

    Bethlehem mayor Hanna Nasser blames the violence which he
    says has meant fewer tourists have come to the Holy Land --
    but says the Israeli blockade has ensured that almost none of
    the few tourists reaching Jerusalem have made it to Bethlehem.

    In factories in Bethlehem, some of the town's residents
    are still managing to earn a living making wooden figurines
    for the tourist trade in Jerusalem, but they are working at
    only 50 per cent of capacity.

    Store owner Abu Saleem is optimistic that, if the closure
    is lifted, the tourists will come back. A year ago, residents
    were seeing as many as 5,000 tourists a day. This year, he
    said, there were only 100 to 150 tourists a day.

    But with six months of violence behind them and no end in
    sight to the Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, most
    shopkeepers are keeping their store tightly shuttered, for
    now.



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