Churches in Palestine (Birthplace of Jesus - Bethlehem)

🇵🇸-3 Opposite the #Damascus Gate in #Jerusalem, I boarded the No. 231 Arab bus heading for #Bethlehem in #Palestine. Although it is only a short 50-minute drive, it may be a lifetime for the people of both countries. The first stop in Bethlehem is Manger Square, famous for being the birthplace of Jesus. The Church of Nativity located in Manger Square may be one of the oldest existing churches in the world. It was built by Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great. It is currently managed by the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Armenian Orthodox Church in accordance with the "maintain the status quo" policy. So the whole feeling of the church is quite different from other churches I have been to, especially in terms of decoration, furnishings, and even the way of praying. Then we went to the Milk Grotto Church, which was built in 1872. The same place was a Byzantine church in the 5th century, so you can still see traces of that time. Here, I met an old man who enthusiastically explained to me the story of this church. According to legend, when Mary was breastfeeding, her milk dripped down and dyed the entire cave white... So he said that many couples would come to this cave to soak the white powder in water and drink it in order to pray for offspring. Later on, it became a cure for all kinds of diseases. The whole of Bethlehem makes me feel that it is a place where you can get a lot, and there are really few tourists at the moment. So when I was looking for information, I found that the birthplace that might have required an hour-long queue to visit was now completely deserted, just as I mentioned before, with 2-30 tourists a day (🙋🏽♂️1/30). On the way back to Jerusalem from Bethlehem, we passed several checkpoints for routine inspections. But in wartime, I feel that the border is full of tension, especially now, I have heard that Israel is about to go to war with Hezbollah in #Lebanon. Although the city is relatively peaceful, there are obviously more people with guns on the road (@ee.yiyi said that this is because of the Hamas attack in 2023, so the number of people applying for gun licenses has increased). We earnestly hope that the two countries can move towards peace in a better direction and coexist peacefully like the Church of the Nativity and the Omar Mosque on Manger Square.