Israeli barriers in Bethlehem are weighing heavily on holiday cheer.

Christian nuns watch a large Christmas lit at Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity in the biblical West Bank town of Bethlehem, Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010. Tourists from all over the world are expected to flock to Jesus' traditional birthplace to celebrate the Christmas holiday this month. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

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Bethlehem mayor lights town's Christmas tree, criticizes Israeli limits as holiday approaches

By Associated Press

2:00 p.m. EST, December 15, 2010

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem's mayor has lit up his town's main Christmas tree while complaining that Israel's limitations on access to his West Bank town are weighing heavily on holiday cheer.

Mayor Victor Batarseh and a Palestinian official threw a switch to light white bulbs strung around a tall, star-topped fir tree in front of the Church of the Nativity, marking the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

Part of Israel's West Bank separation barrier cuts through southern Bethlehem, blocking the road to Jerusalem, 3 miles (5 kilometers) away.

At his pre-Christmas news conference Wednesday, Batarseh said traditional carols call for peace and good will, but this is hindered by the Israeli barrier "that has cut the 2,000-year-old relation between Bethlehem and its twin city Jerusalem."

Franciscan monks pray inside the Grotto where many Christians believe the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, in the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010. Tourists from all over the world are expected to flock to Jesus' traditional birthplace to celebrate the Christmas holiday this month. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill) Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity Play Slideshow