Palin Ditches Bethlehem Trip at Last Minute

Sarah Palin aborted a trip to Bethlehem at the last minute yesterday, according to the Telegraph, which suggests some not-so-wise men among her advisers could be to blame. The city of Christ's birth was meant to be her first stop of the day, according to a leaked copy of her schedule, but her car only got as far as the first Israeli checkpoint outside the West Bank city before doing a quickie U-turn and heading back.

Israeli officials confirmed that Palin's team didn't make a formal request to visit the West Bank, and it's not clear whether her advisers were aware that Bethlehem isn't in Israel. She spent most of the day visiting other Christian sites before having dinner with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Palin and her husband—who visited the Wailing Wall on Sunday—are due to leave Israel early today. She has promised to return soon for a full week, reports the Jerusalem Post. (More Bethlehem stories.)