Canadian PM visits Ramallah, Bethlehem

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah Monday as part of a four-day Middle East trip, officials said. Harper met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas upon his arrival in Ramallah, the Ma'an News Agency reported. Business delegations from both sides met to discuss joint ventures and investments, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. Harper pledged more than $60 million to Palestine's private sector during the stop, Maclean's reported. Earlier Monday, Harper visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Ma'an said. Local journalists alleged Harper's bodyguards assaulted them as they tried to report on his visit. Cameraman Mousa al-Shaer told Ma'an the plan was for Harper to enter the church first and journalists to follow. However, the bodyguards prevented the journalists from entering the church and assaulted them, Shaer said.