Israel to issue travel permits for Palestinian Christians during Christmas

Israel said Monday it will briefly ease travel restrictions for a few Christian Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip during the Christmas season.

Permits will be granted for pilgrimage purposes and family visits to about 1,800 Palestinian Christians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Permits to leave Gaza are rarely issued, as Israel maintains tight restrictions on Palestinians' freedom of movement within and between the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and Israel through a complex checkpoints system.

Both Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade on Gaza from both sides ever since the militant Hamas movement took control of the strip in 2007.

Israel has been occupying and controlling the West Bank and the Gaza Strip since the 1967 War, a status condemned by the international community.
  Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
  22/12/15