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Bethlehem

The Church of the Nativity is built around the spot where Jesus was born – supposedly.

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The actual location (marked by the silver star)is in the cellar below the level of the church.
The nativity crypt is tiny and can get very crowded at times – actually, at all times.

The line-up to enter the nativity crypt starts early and gets long. Our guide told us these people could wait up to 3 hours this day. Fortunately, if you have hired a Palestinian guide, they have the privilege that they can get you in the back way so we did not wait.

The famous low exit door to the church.

The West Bank territories in Palestine have a somewhat ambiguous legal status, so there are merchants willing to jump in and take the place of Western companies, with or without permission.

The Wall
The Israelis have build a large concrete wall between Israel and Palestine, to prevent terrorist infiltration. The Palestinians have grafitti’ed their side.