BETHLEHEM  Background  

Bethlehem   is   a   city   in   the  West  Bank,   situated   in   the   Judean  Hills,   5  miles   (8   kilometres)   south  of  Jerusalem   with   a   population   of   around   28,000.   The   city   holds   considerable   historic   and   religious  importance  for  the  Christian,  Jewish  and  Muslim  faiths.    As  the  birth  place  of  Jesus  Christ,  Bethlehem  forms  a  central  part  of  the  Christian  tradition,  but  it  is  also  important  for  Muslims,  for  whom  Jesus  is  a   revered   prophet.     Rachel’s   Tomb,  mentioned   in   the   Jewish   and   Christian  Old   Testament   and   in  Muslim  literature,   is  another  key  religious  site,  among  various  others.   In  modern  times,  Bethlehem  was  administered  as  a  part  of  the  British  Mandate  in  Palestine  from  1920  until  1948.  It  was  included  in   the   1947   ‘corpus   separatum’   plan,   which   was   to   place   Jerusalem   and   Bethlehem   under   an  international   regime.   The   plan   was   voted   in   by   the   United   Nations   with   a   two-­‐thirds   majority;  however   it   was   never   successfully   implemented.   After   the   first   Arab-­‐Israeli   war   in   1948-­‐49,  Bethlehem  became  part  of  the  annexed  territory  of  the  Hashemite  Kingdom  of  Jordan.  In  1967,  after  the  Six  Day  War,  Bethlehem  was  part  of  the  Israeli-­‐occupied  territory  of  the  West  Bank.  As  a  result  of  1993  Oslo  Agreements,  it  came  under  control  of  the  Palestinian  Authority,  in  Area  A.  

Bethlehem  surrounded  by  a  wall    Bethlehem  today  is  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  an  eight  metre  high  concrete  wall,  restricted  roads  and   roadblocks.     Israel   began   construction   of   the  wall   in   2002,   purportedly   to   protect   its   borders  

amid   the   increased  violence   of   the   second  Intifada.   However   critics  of  the  wall  say  its  use  has  moved   beyond   security  concerns,   arguing   that   is  now   acting   as   a   land-­‐grabbing   mechanism.    Once   completed,   85%   of  it   will   be   located   inside  the   West   Bank   and   at  712km   long,   it   will   be  twice   the   length   of   the  1967   Green   Line   (OCHA  2013).     The   wall   has  isolated   Bethlehem   from  the   West   Bank   and  

Jerusalem–   Palestinians   cannot   enter   Bethlehem   from   Jerusalem   without   going   through   military  checkpoints.   It   has   compounded   the   litany   of   human   rights   abuses   felt   by   Palestinians;   imposing  further  restrictions  on  their  freedom  of  movement  inside  the  city  and  in  the  surrounding  area,  and  reducing  their  access  to  essential  services.  The  barrier’s  route  also  envelops  Rachel’s  Tomb,  known  by  Muslims  as  the  Bilal  ibn  Rabah  mosque,  leaving  it  under  strict  Israeli  control.      Restricted  access  to  land    The  UN  estimates  that  only  13%  of  the  governorate  of  Bethlehem  is  available  for  Palestinians  to  use,  with  the  wall  isolating  25%  of  Bethlehem’s  agricultural  land.    Meanwhile,  22  Jewish  settlements  have  established   themselves   in   the   surrounding   areas,   preventing   the   growth   of   Palestinian   towns   and  villages  and  denying  them  vital  land  and  resources.      

 Israel  has  illegally  annexed  the  22km2  area  of  land  north  of  Bethlehem  to  the  Jerusalem  municipality  in   order   to   expand   its   settlements.     Beit   Suhour   lost   17%   of   its   land   due   to   the   expansion   of  Jerusalem’s   boundaries,   now   the   Palestinians   living   there   have   to   apply   for   permits   to   enter   East  Jerusalem.    Bethlehem  and  East  Jerusalem  are  already  cut-­‐off  from  one  another,  except  for  settlers,  who   benefit   from   a   fast   network   of   roads   linking   settlements   directly   to   Jerusalem.     However,  proposed   plans   for   expanding   these   existing   settlements   will   further   disconnect   these   two   vital  cities,  significantly  disrupting  the  contiguity  of  occupied  Palestinian  territory  and  undermining  hopes  of  a  viable  future  Palestinian  state.    Plans  announced  in  August  2013  to  add  983  new  housing  units  to   the   large   Israeli   settlement   of   Har   Homa,   will   extend   the   settlements   onto   the   hills   near  Bethlehem   further   constricting   Beit   Suhour.     The   plan   has   come   in   conjunction  with   a   number   of  other  worrying  announcements  for  Gilo,  Efrat,  Beitar  Illit  and  Nokdim  (the  settlements  surrounding  Bethlehem),  which   if   implemented  will   almost   completely   seal  Bethlehem  off   from  East   Jerusalem  and  the  nearby  Palestinian  towns,  villages  and  agricultural  land.          Suffocating  the  economy      The   damage   that   the   Israel’s   security   apparatus   and   growing   settlement   enterprise   cause   to   the  Palestinian   economy   is   devastating.     In   Bethlehem   and   the   surrounding   area,   Palestinians   have  suffered   in   particular   from   their   effects   on   the   agriculture   and   tourism   industries.     The   current  unemployment  rate   is  around  23%,  the  highest  of  any  West  Bank  region,  whose  overall  average   is  18%.     Palestinians   endure  huge  delays   trying   to   circumvent   the   vast   network  of   settler   roads   and  military  checkpoints  that  block  direct  access  to  their  agricultural  land.    Upon  reaching  it,  they  must  manage  with  only   very   limited  water   resources  and  agricultural   supplies.     Furthermore,   a  growing  trend  of   settler   violence  and  official  demolitions  has   the   seen  many   instances  of  Palestinian  crops  being  completely  destroyed.    Since  1967,  Israeli  has  uprooted  over  800,000  olive  trees  in  the  West  Bank.    Within  the  city,  Bethlehem  continues  to  suffer  from  severe  challenges  to  its  tourism  sector.    Before  the   second   Intifada   in   2000,   approximately   18%   of   the  waged  workers   in   urban   Bethlehem  were  employed  in  the  tourism  sector.  With  the  outbreak  of  the   Intifada  and  the  subsequent  restrictions  on   movement   on   both   Palestinians   and   tourists,   Bethlehem’s   tourism   sector   suffered   a   severe  decline.     Palestinian   tour   guides   find   it   difficult   to   gain   entry   into   Israeli   controlled   areas,   giving  Israeli  tour  operators  the  lion’s  share  of  the  market  and  the  opportunity  to  focus  their  itineraries  to  favour  hotels  in  Jerusalem.    Tourists  who  want  to  go  from  Jerusalem  to  Bethlehem,  which  are  a  few  miles  from  each  other,  must  go  through  an  Israeli  checkpoint,   involving  a  wait  of  90  minutes.    The  wall  reinforces  the  impression  the  Bethlehem  is  not  safe.        Overcrowding    A  lack  of  unrestricted  land,  natural  population  growth  and  an  expanding  refugee  population  has  led  to   a   problem   of   overcrowding   in   Bethlehem,   where   the   majority   of   households   live   in   crowded  conditions.    Palestinians  have  migrated  to  Bethlehem  to  access  jobs  and  basic  services  or  have  fled  there   to   one   of   the   three   refugee   camps   after   their   homes   have   been   destroyed.     The   Dheisheh  refugee  camp  is  the  oldest  refugee  camp  in  the  West  Bank  and  was  established  in  1949  2km  south  of  Bethlehem.     It  was  opened  to  accommodate  3,400   inhabitants  of  45  villages   in  Western  Jerusalem  and  Hebron  after  their  homes  were  destroyed.    Originally  a  temporary  measure,  it  now  houses  over  13,000  refugees  and  their  descendants,  causing  grave  overcrowding  and  massive  strains  on  health,  sanitation  and  education  services.