Rice Expects Emotional Bethlehem Visit

JERUSALEM (AP) — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday she expects an emotional experience when she travels to Bethlehem, the Biblical birthplace of Jesus, this week.

The daughter and granddaughter of Presbyterian ministers, Rice plans to visit the Palestinian town for the first time Wednesday. She will meet civic leaders and make a pilgrimage to the Church of the Nativity, built over Jesus' traditional birth grotto.

"I'm really looking forward to going to Bethlehem," she told reporters at her Jerusalem hotel after two days of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials aimed at preparing a U.S.-hosted peace conference this fall. "I think it will be kind of emotional for me."

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