Nearly all travellers arrive via Jerusalem. Since Bethlehem is administered
by the Palestinian Authority, an Israeli military checkpoint stands on the
road connecting the two locations. If entering from Jerusalem, one must pass
through the "Rachel's Crossing" Israeli checkpoint into
Bethlehem. One simply flashes his/her passport to an Israeli soldier,
places his/her bags into an x-ray machine, and then walks through a metal
detector, much like airport security, to get into/exit Bethlehem. As with
all areas under Palestinian Authority control, Israeli law forbids Israeli
citizens to enter
