A Christian girl sits near the Altar of the Nativity, believed to be the place where the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ, inside the Grotto at the Church of the Nativity in the biblical West Bank city of Bethlehem, on December 24, 2012. Thousands of Palestinians and tourists were flocking to Bethlehem to mark Christmas at the site where many believe Jesus Christ was born. AFP PHOTO / HAZEM BADER