Although a spate of violence has gripped Israel-Palestine in the past three months -- with over 100 Palestinians killed since October 1 -- the West Bank city of Bethlehem is still rolling out a big Christmas celebration this year. The historically Christian city is the site of Jesus’s birth, and has remained a popular destination for Christian pilgrims from the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa and North America over the years, despite the hardships the Israeli occupation has placed on tourism in the West Bank. Here’s how the fabled Palestinian ...

Tragedy after tragedy struck the region’s entertainment industry this year, forcing us to say farewell to some of the greatest artists in Arab music and cinema to date. We were deeply saddened at the losses of icons like Nour el Sherif and Ibrahim Yousri, and shocked by the deaths of young artists Mirna El-Mohandes and Issam Breidy. They may be gone, but their legacy will not be forgotten. Here’s an Al Bawaba tribute to many of the talented musicians, actors, and poets that passed away in 2015. May they rest ...

After a trip to the desert, where he was pictured wearing a kandora, he clearly caught the shopping bug. (source: Gulf Times)

The biggest dip in the Middle East has nothing to do with the price of oil. It's hummus , the creamy confection made from crushed chickpeas with a touch of tahini, olive oil and often-secret ingredients unique to each kitchen. Hummus is a mainstay of Arab cuisine, with competing claims by Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Israel as to ownership of the dish - a phenomenon captured in the 2012 film Make Hummus Not War . But let's not argue about its origin. Instead let's look at who makes it ...

Switzerland's Roger Federer of Obi UAE Royals returns the ball to Croatia's Ivo Karlovic of Philippine Mavericks during their International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) tennis match on December 14, 2015 in the Emirate Dubai. AFP PHOTO / KARIM SAHIB

There’s no place like home, but who says no to world exploration, especially when it comes to sweeping away the sands from (typical) stereotypes about the Middle East! Western celebs have become some of our most regular guests, jet-setting to the region for events like the Dubai Film Festival going on now , concerts, festivals, shopping, guest appearances or to simply get away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood. And nothing says I’ve got time to spare and cash to blow than a first class ticket to the Emirates ...

Santiago Bernabeu stadium

The blatant racism behind Trump's recent remarks calling for "total and complete shutdown" on Muslims entering the US has already been decried at length in the media. So we took a look at the flip-side of this absurd scenario: What if Trump was banned from the Middle East? How would his real estate empire hold up without its many Middle Eastern projects and partnerships with Muslim businessmen? Probably not very well -- and here’s why a taste of his own medicine might put a wrench in his good Arabian works ...