thousands gathered to celebrate christmas eve. the events began with a procession of the latin patriarch from jerusalem to bethlehem. it representatives of the vatican were drawn by boy scouts and marching bands as they paraded into major squares. for the city of bethlehem, the celebration is an important tourist attraction to bolster the local economy. >> coming from different cities and looking towards bethlehem. tourists are coming from all over the world to celebrate this day with us. ♪ >> the christmas eve parade and religious ceremony, met heightened tensions between israelis and palestinians. in the past month, two attacks in the west bank left an israeli baby and two israeli soldiers dead. the attack leading to protests across the west bank as it