WORLD IN BRIEF : ISRAEL : Bethlehem Cancels Christmas Festivities

Officials in the biblical town of Bethlehem announced they have canceled community Christmas celebrations for the third year in a row to support the Palestinian uprising. The town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is revered as the birthplace of Jesus. Municipal officials in Beit Sahur, another city that is home to Christian Arabs, also said they will call off their Christmas celebrations to back the uprising. Beit Sahur is surrounded by fields where Christians believe the birth of Jesus was announced to shepherds.