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As Bethlehem Observes Christmas, Trump's Jerusalem Shift Looms Large

by Associated Press

   BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK --

   President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital
   looms large in Christmas festivities this year in the traditional
   birthplace of Jesus, biblical Bethlehem.

   Some vendors and a leading hotelier in Bethlehem say Palestinian
   protests, triggered by what many here view as a provocative show of
   Trump's pro-Israel bias, have hurt their Christmas business.

   Yet Bethlehem also offers a stage for a Palestinian rebuttal: banners
   proclaiming Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Palestine have been
   draped over facades on Manger Square as a backdrop for Christmas TV
   broadcasts to a global audience.

   Mahmoud Salahat, who sells pomegranate juice on the square, says his
   main source of income -- Palestinian citizens of Israel -- have largely
   stayed away from Bethlehem during the past two weeks, apparently
   fearing trouble on the roads.