Christmas Eve Concert held in West Bank
Marching bands and choirs played in Bethlehem’s Manger square on Monday ahead of concert to celebrate the Christian festival of Christmas.
The concert would be the largest ever Christmas Eve concert in Bethlehem since 1999, which attracts both Israeli and Palestinian musicians.
Revered Sam Morris, organizer of the event, says he hopes the event would mark a new beginning for peace in the Middle East.
”Maybe this is the year when we can start something new, something that would say there is another way, this is maybe a symbol that can end and we can start something new.”
More than 150-voice choir is travelling at their own expense from the US and will join 20 singers based in Jerusalem and members of The Palestine Youth Orchestra.
The Christmas Eve concert will be a highlight of the annual festivities celebrating the birth of Jesus, which also include processions by various local churches. It is estimated that this year Bethlehem is expecting around 70,000 tourists
