Christmas lights turned on in Bethlehem

Hundreds of people gathered in Bethlehem to attend the annual turning on of Christmas tree lights in the West Bank city, marking the start of the Advent season. The tree is traditionally erected in front of the Church of Nativity in Manger Square, where according to Christian tradition Jesus was born. The #Christmas season just began in #Palestine with the lighting of the #Bethlehem tree. A message of love, hope, justice and peace  pic.twitter.com/HTHS4oEiUl— Palestine PLO – NAD (@nadplo) 3 December 2016 Thousands of tourists and Christian pilgrims travel to Bethlehem every year to mark the festive season.