Not me -- I wasn't locked out, well only for 5 minutes at the checkpoint and 20 minutes at the Church. Palestinians who didn't live there were barred from getting through the checkpoints into the town, both those with Israeli and West Bank / Gaza ID. We were greeted by Military Police and the Israeli Defence Force with 'Merry Christmas', then the Department of Tourism gave our bus a Christmas rose and bags of sweets for everyone.
Our coaches had left from St George's, East Jerusalem, without one resident of the Cathedral, Mr Vanunu, who is banned from travelling outside Israel proper. He decided to take a taxi anyway, and was detained by the checkpoint police at 10pm on Christmas Eve. They then drove him to Tel Aviv, where he was released at 2am on Christmas Day. His attempts to go to Bethlehem were covered as the main item on Israeli news broadcasts this morning.
We however arrived, 'not a moment too soon', and you could call the circumstances 'satisfactory': we waited outside the tiny, low doorway which takes one at a time, while the dispute was settled between Cathedral police about which group we were and which route we were taking to the small Orthodox Chapel! After four Christmases without the presence of the Palestinian leadership at the Nativity Church, the acting President did join the 200 of us crammed into a small chapel having an Anglican 9 lessons and carols at 9pm. The Choir of London sang in outstanding fashion.
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