Bethlehem,
Palestine

GEOGRAPHY

Bethlehem is in Palestine's West Bank, 6 miles south of Jerusalem. From an elevation of 2,500 feet, it overlooks terraced hillsides and small agricultural valleys beyond which the land plunges precipitously to the Dead Sea.

HISTORY

Settled by Canaanites long before the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) came into being, Bethlehem is believed to be the birthplace of Jesus and King David. Although nominal governance was ceded to the Palestine National Authority in 1995, Bethlehem has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967.

TOURISM

Bethlehem welcomes tourists and pilgrims from all over the world. Souvenir shops, olive wood carvings and embroidered handicrafts support the economy. Tourist revenue has dropped with the construction of Israel's Separation Wall and unemployment has reached 30%. Tourists require an Israeli visa, issued at Tel Aviv’s airport or at the Israeli-controlled border with Jordan. Israeli military checkpoints control access in and out of Bethlehem as well as travel throughout the West Bank.

AGRICULTURE

Once a significant part of Bethlehem’s economy --grapes, figs, almonds, apricots, and, of course, olives -- land loss to the Separation Wall and Settlements have decimated Bethlehem’s agriculture.

CLIMATE

Temperatures and seasons are similar to Sacramento.

EDUCATION

Bethlehem University is the West Bank’s oldest university. 80% of Palestinian students passing high school exit exams pursue higher education; more than half are female.

POPULATION

178,000 Palestinians live in the Bethlehem District; 60,000 in Bethlehem's urban area, the remainder live in villages and refugee camps. In 2009, more than 86,000 Israeli Settlers were living on Bethlehem District’s land.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Brigitte Jaensch,
Patricia Daugherty


City Affiliation with Bethlehem: December 15, 2009.