Christians came together at the Church of the Holy Nativity traditionally seen as Jesus’ birthplace. <br /><br />It is always crowded on Christmas Eve, and there was no room at the inn this year, either.<br /><br />Among the politicians present were the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the EU’s Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton.<br /><br />Her office stressed it was a private visit. <br /><br />The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal called for a solution to the problems in the region..<br /><br />“We are living in a very difficult situation in the Holy Land. A situation for which we do not have an immediate solution. A difficult situation which affects all the inhabitants of the Holy Land,” he said.<br /><br />Outside the church in Manger Square, it was a festive atmosphere. <br /><br />Visitor numbers are expected to be up 14 per cent this year, due in part to the recent relative calm in the region.
