i enjoy aaron klein's coverage. please bring us more of his important journalism.

Olmert, Peres and Yariv Oppenheimer have the power to protect the Christians. Instead, these corrupt criminals give the Muslim gangs weapons with which to intimidate and murder the Christians. Israeli police and army will not intervene to help a Christian, leaving them to the mercy of Muslim courts where, like Jews, they are considered subhuman. Just like the South Lebanon Army, Madhat Yussuf and the Jews of Gaza, the Christians are the victims of Israeli betrayal.

Jews with their occupation, land confiscation, strangling the economy of the city and preventing it from prospering. Muslims with their intimidation, intolerence toward other religions and radicalization.

As usual you are right on the money.

Personally, I'm not interested. The Christian Arabs are not any less hostile than the Muslim Arabs. Their only redeeming quality is that they don't blow themselves up in suicide bombings. Evidently, Christians don't get any virgins so they lack the incentive. While it is a wonderful example of Islamic tolerence, the "blame the Jews" syndrome is the automatic response to almost any event in the Middle-East. Our gov't. has failed to sell our case as they have failed in almost every other area. For a people who supposedly control the media, we are not doing a very good job. In any case, let Archbishop Sabbah worry about his dwindling flock while all the while blaming the Jews. He must have forgotten that the birthday he is celebrating is that of a Jewish man, a man born a Jew, who lived his whole life as a Jew, & who died a Jew.

.. and I can tell you that this piece is really pathetic. I never experienced any problem here because of my religion. The only fundamental problem we (Palestinians: Christians & Muslims) is with the Israeli occupation of our land that makes our life hard and unbearable. Don’t waste your time promoting internal conflicts between Palestinians so that they forget your occupation.. you better look at what you are doing to us. Merry x-mas and happy eid… Salaam..

Israel should be banned from entering Israel. If the reporters cannot check their facts or are anti Israel,then expel them from Israel.

1. Arabs always blame Israel for all their problems. Blaming Israel for all their faults is their mantra. 2. Christian Arabs are no friendlier or less hostile to Israeli Jews than are Moslem Arabs. 3. It is not Israel's obligation to guarantee neither a Christian or Moslem Arab majority or presence in Bethlehem or in any other community in this country. 4. Bethlehem was a completely Jewish city for centuries until it was over-run by a non-Jewish population in recent generations.

If you were a Christian you'd follow the words of Jesus Christ. A Jew born in Bethlehem. Your'e one of those of whom Jesus refered to as 'Many will come in my name.' Your'e a muslim in sheeps clothing. Israel cannot occupy what was given to her by Jesus father, the G-d of Israel. Another of the lies promoted by so called Christians who hate Jesus people and his legacy. Where were you when your muslims brothers used the bible for toilet paper? Cheering in a christian church? Stop calling yourself a christian. We all know the difference and your'e just plain transparent in your hatred for the chosen people of G-d the Israelis.

Could Israel stop its lies...? The writer suggests that there is no Wall around Bethlehem, TRUE, there's only a wall that separates the city from the rest of the world. Pilgrams come from overseas destinations and NOT from Hebron. Stop your lies.

We Israelis are quite aware of this. This needs to be published in one of those biased venues such as the BBC. Perhaps a letter-writing campaign to get them to cover the truth about this?

Stop your lies and feel some shame. The land grab methods mentioned by the author are in fact the methods used by the zionists to grab Palestinian lands. Christians have been living in this area for 1400 years now. Why did not the Muslims grab all Christian lands and property during all those 1400 years? Why it did not happen when the Arab Muslim state was at the apex of its power in the seventh and eighth centuries? Why it did not happen during Muslim Turks Ottoman rule? The culture of land grab is a zionist innovation brought along from the dark corners of Russia, Romania, Poland, The Ukraine, and is totally alien to this area.

make that claim, why didn't you put the "Christ" in Christmas?

Every year the world media attacks Israel on Christmas! Finally the truth comes out. Every Jew, Christian, and Muslim in the Mid-East knows the truth; Muslim Arabs and Iranians persecute Christians whenever possible. On the other hand, Israeli Christians are safe and free to worship. Even in Lebanon the Christians are afraid of Islamic takeover by Hezbollah! Christians need a new - "Media" Crusade to show the truth about what the PA is really doing!

Like most Muslims, your grasp of history is tenuous at best. You assume that history began after the Muslim conquests of the 7-8th centuries. But, history did not start in the 600's. The biggest land-grab in history is the Muslim conquest. How many countries, how many cultures, how many nationalities, how many ethnic groups were disposessed by the Muslim conquests? They not only took people's land, they took their culture & language. Only small, oppressed minorities remained. Did you know that Turkey was Greek? Where did all those Greek Christians disappear to? The biggest mosque in Turkey is a Christian church. Syria was the center of Eastern Christianity. It was never an Arab country - it was conquered. Egypt is not an Arab country. It was a Christian country, part of the Roman Empire. What happened to the Christians? Did you know that up until the 1400's, it was still 50% Christian. What is it now? North Africa was inhabited by many Berber tribes. Their lands & culture were stolen from them by Arabs. Then the Arabs tried to steal Spain which they kept for quite a while until the even more intolerant Catholics threw them out. So, please, stop the BS. Go read a book. You might learn something.

He is one of the few who dares to speak the truth.

Following departure of Jews from Gaza the Christians there came under attack: churches were set on fire, Christians were killed and women raped. The world ignored it because if Israeli kills a Gazan it is news, but if Palestinians kill Palestinians it is not news. There was forced conversion of Christians to Islam such as Professor Sana al-Sayegh of Gaza City International University who was arrested and forced to convert to Islam under the gun. When Jews leave and cannot be attacked the Christians come next. West Bank the situation is not different than in Gaza. Take Beit Jallah only 15% of Christians are left there. The same story, land of Christians was grabbed, women raped and men killed. ShShSh we should not talk about it. It is bad for Palestinian and radical left propaganda. Let the Muslims burn our churches, oh the Danish cartoons, of course. We WB Christians deny what is done to us or that we will be killed. But those of us who live in America and Canada we should talk about our churches that were set on fire and nobody, even the Vatican, cared. Our raped women and daughters, our husband and sons who were killed, yes, as "Israeli agents." How we were forced to convert to Islam before leaving the WB. How our Bishops elected by Muslim Palestinian Authority said how nice it is that hundreds of tourists came to Bethlehem (Instead of the tens of thousands tourists). No mention that there are not enough Arab Christians to hold the traditional Christmas procession. Do not kid us, we know the truth. It is not Israel it is our Muslim brothers who betrayed us. Yes, they did.

as we speak? I expect that the assassinations in Lebanon are just part of that campaign. There is no doubt in my mind that Islam is trying to dominate the world just as so many of them openly state. They'll do it through intimidation and or violence. It really doesn't matter to them.

Thats just one example of Muslim theft of non Muslim land throughout history, and they continue to desecrate it. Why cant Islam get along with other religions and even themselves? There is no place in the world Islam peacefully gets along with others, NO WHERE, not with anyone else. Look at India, Pakistan, Thailand, every Arab country. Look at the Arab Muslim war against black Africans. Islam is a religion of war and theft. This article is just another example of it. cant take the truth? Just because Eurabia prefers lies and appeasement over truth doesnt mean the rest of the world is that way.

An earlier version of this article falsely claimed Nissenbaum and Churgin wrote for the Associated Press. I see that's been changed to their correct employer -- but there's no notice that the article originally contained an error or that it has been changed. Will Ynet add this notice to the article?

it's embassy in Jerusalem.

I posted the following on my blog www.hadleyville.blogspot.com The National Geographic Channel is running a program called "The Last Christians in Bethlehem." It relates the alarming drop-off of Christian pilgrimages and tourism to Bethlehem since 2002. Many Palestinian Christians, whose families have lived in Bethlehem for centuries have had to close their shops and move away. Others have had their property confiscated by Muslims; the ensuing legal actions are bogged down in Islamic courts. The NGC tried to portray the various elements that contribute to the decline. They cited the ongoing feud between the Jews and Islamic Palestinians. Recently, the Jews have decided that they must build a wall between themselves and the Hamas-controlled West bank. NGC gets a "B" for execution of their project and an "F" for explaining the actual reason for this problem. The de-Christianization of Bethlehem is a direct consequence of Islamic depredation. If Hamas and the Palestinians who overwhelmingly voted them into office would stop trying to destroy Israel there would be ZERO problem. NGC pointed to the WALL which makes it difficult to pass from Jerusalem to Bethlehem as the reason for the abrupt drop in tourism. They also noted an Islamist takeover of the church of the Nativity in 2002. For weeks, armed Islamists and Israelis faced each other at said church. The standoff ended without bloodshed but a precedent was set. Worshipers can now expect armed thugs to take over their church anytime it is convenient for them to cower there after antagonizing the Israeli army. Not a great vacation selling point. This sad state of affairs is nothing new. In fact, if National Geographic Channel would like to paint an accurate picture I suggest they make this a series. here is the line up: The last Christians of Alexandria. The last Christians of Syria, Cappadocia, Armenia, Constantinople, Tunesia, Morrocco, and Kosovo to name but a few. Those are all cities and countries that used to be Christian until they were subjugated by the warriors of Islam. Fine, theres been a lot of give-and-take over the centuries, but it is Islam that continues to demand that everybody else bow down to their will. NGC better not blink, they might be doing a special called the Last Christians in the Western Hemisphere. I know a couple people who have made that their life's goal.

Nothing less than a new Crusade will turn the situation around. Christianity must unite and say loud and clear NO MORE. The slow bleed strategy of the Muhammadans must be reversed and a fast bleed strategy started by the Christians. It is the only thing they will listen to. I will volunteer and join this Crusade myself.

Perhaps if Mr. Klein and journalists like him were to make it clear in their articles that Bethlehem is not, in fact, "inside" and a part of Israel but instead part of the "West Bank" more Christians in America would become concerned. I know he strongly implies it in this article and most people who are intimately acquainted with the situation understand this but the average American who is generally strongly pro Israel and despises what Hamas and Fatah are doing doesn't really know the facts on the ground. These and other facts like them are critical to turning the American people more strongly in favor of Israel. More education would help Christians in Bethlehem and all over the Middle East and help Israel at the same time. Merry Christmas and Shalom.

That's the Pal motto. Apparently first used just before the six-day war. It hasn't turned out that way. The Sunday people have been easier to terrorize and have foolishly believed that since they're also Arabs they wouldn't be targeted.

the OCCUPIED city of Bethlehem, leave it to the christians as it is their holy city. Its not a city for anyone but christians.

Laughable.

Bethlehem. Get your facts straight as they are plain and obvious.