Coronavirus restrictions are keeping away the thousands of visitors who usually celebrate Christmas in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a Covid-19 vaccine on Saturday, kicking off a national rollout over the coming days, though it is unclear if Palestinians will receive the jab.
Bethlehem lights up Christmas tree
Bethlehem lit up its Christmas tree without the usual crowds due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Archaeologist claims to have found Jesus' home in Nazareth
A building beneath a Nazareth church could have been the home of Jesus, one archaeologist believes.
Pompeo visits West Bank settlement, Golan Heights
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo became the first top American diplomat to visit a Jewish settlement in the West Bank and the disputed Golan ...
Presidential spiritual adviser prays for Trump win
Trump's personal pastor and spiritual advisor appears to be pulling out all the stops.
Discussing freedom of expression, tolerance, and secularism
Comment: President Macron's defence of the Prophet Muhammad cartoons raises important questions around secularism and free speech in a global ...
Palestinian Israelis protest against France's Macron
Demonstrators in the Palestinian-majority district of Jaffa gathered outside the residence of France's ambassador to Israel.
US soldiers are using TikTok in Syria
US soldiers stationed in Syria uploaded a video asking the locals about Lebanese-American former adult actress Mia Khalifa.
PLO accuses Israel of stealing Christian artifact from Bethlehem
A senior Palestinian official accused Israel of stealing a historical Christian artifact from the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
What will happen to Turkey's Hagia Sophia?
First a Byzantine church, then an Ottoman mosque and finally a museum, Turkey's Hagia Sophia will now be reconverted into a Muslim place of ...
Iraq PM visits slain scholar's family, calls him 'hero'
'I will avenge him, and God willing his killers will not go free,' Mustafa al-Kadhimi told the family of scholar Hisham al-Hashemi, who was shot ...
The Middle East at war with coronavirus: Top stories
In Iran, nearly 11,000 have died due to Covid-19, whereas Turkey is urging the EU to include it in the list of 'safe' coronavirus partners.
Israel orders US-based Christian 'missionary' TV channel off air
The evangelical Christian channel will reapply for a license to broadcast, a spokesman said after the broadcaster was accused of hiding an ...
Iran arrests members of 'heretical' Shia group
A group of was arrested for distributing material both online and in public, critical of mainstream Shia doctrine, including the coming of Imam ...
Controversy-dogged Da Vinci artwork re-emerges in Saudi Arabia
'What about Islamic art?' critics ask as Saudi plans to open a museum to unveil the world's most expensive painting, Salvator Mundi, depicting Jesus Christ.
Israel disputes Jesus' Palestinian origin on Twitter
After a popular satirical Twitter profile criticised Jesus' depiction as a white man, Israel's official account appeared to take issue ...
Bethlehem's Church of Nativity reopens after coronavirus closure
The church had been closed since March 5 when an outbreak of COVID-19 was detected in Bethlehem.
The Middle East at war with coronavirus: Top stories
Saudi Arabia lifts its lockdown, Egypt's doctors lay into the government, Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity reopens and Ikea's car parks host ...
Israeli minister threatens to shut down GOD TV
The Hebrew-language channel has drawn criticism over its aim to 'take the gospel of Jesus into the hearts of the Jewish people'.
Orthodox congregations watch Easter services from home during lockdown
Televised and online services replaced the usually packed-out Orthodox Easter congregations across Eastern Europe and the Middle East as ...
The Middle East at war with coronavirus
In today's roundup: Orthodox Easter celebrated at home, UK criticised over ethnic minority Covid-19 deaths, Iranians permitted not to fast over ...
The Middle East at war with coronavirus
In today's roundup: Iran allows some shuttered Tehran businesses to reopen, Lebanon's Le Bristol hotel closes down and the 'Holy Fire' ceremony ...
'Holy Fire' ceremony held in empty Jerusalem church
The ceremony, along with other events in the Holy Week leading up to Easter, was scaled back in line with a ban on public gatherings.