Economy

The City Economy

Tourism is very important for the industry in the region. Several service and productive enterprises form a main source of living for 20% of the working population who work in the tourism sector. Bethlehem receives visitors and especially pilgrims around the year; with a decrease in their numbers during the cold wintery months Nov.-Feb. Statistics reveal that more than two million visitors and pilgrims come to the holy place where Jesus Christ was born. During Christmas seasons the majority of the people who pray are pilgrims who cannot just arrive to the Holy Land and not pray there and visit.  The importance of the religious place has been recognized way before the development of tourism as we know it today. Bethlehem has been the centre of fascination in the region.

Since the old days, the people of Bethlehem have artistically developed artisanship from locally available resources such as olive wood and mother of pearl. Several articles were produced by hand for mainly religious items and some decorative objects. However, with the modernization and the introduction of machinery such items are now produced with the aid of machinery. This industry is a major source of revenue; be it sold locally or exported internationally. Other sources for the economy of the town are the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, stone and marble, textiles, and olive oil. Traditional artistic clothing items and decorative items are also produced by hand using the centuries old embroidery patterns of Bethlehem; that are mainly produced by women from their homes and sold to women’s societies to market them or souvenir shops. 

Population

Population

Historically, the three cities of Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and Beit Sahour have developed to constitute the urban hub and the service centre of the Bethlehem Governorate. These three cities have a monolithic relationship that shares a rich pool of natural resources and a common socio-cultural context. The Bethlehem Governorate is one of the largest of the eleven West Bank governorates. It occupies 607.8 km2 of mass land and borders the Jerusalem Governorate in the north and the Hebron Governorate in the south. The western borders of the Bethlehem Governorate are the 1949 Armistice Line (Green Line), which was demarcated by designated United Nations (UN) resolutions.

Source: The Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem (ARIJ)

According to the 1997 Census carried by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the urban population in Bethlehem Governorate was 44,880 inhabitants. The population grew  to reach 58,243 in the mid of 2004 and increased to 60,123 in the mid of 2005. This indicates that the population grew by 33.96%  between these past eight years. The total population of the governorate according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) in the year 2007 was projected to be 176,515 Palestinians. The same source states in “Palestine in Figures, 2011” the presence of 13 settlements that were built on Palestinian land with 16,490 Israeli settlers. Out of the total Palestinian population, 44.8% live in the rural areas and 39% in urban communities, 7.5% in refugee camps. 

The Palestinian population in general, including that of Bethlehem, is young with 46.9% aged less than 15. Fifty percent of Palestinians live in households of seven members or less. Out of the households, 91% live in crowded conditions, i.e. with more that 1 person per room.

The natural annual growth rate of the population is estimated at about 2.097% according to projections in 2011.  The Bethlehem Governorate just as the rest of the Palestinian areas, suffered an increasing drop in income during the last few years. It is estimated that for the period 1992-1996 real GNP per capita dropped by 39.4% for the West Bank and unemployment rate for the West Bank averaged 29% in mid 1996.

The area has an equal measure by churches and mosques, a symbol of the increased intermingling of the region's people. The religious and cultural diversity of the local population is further enriched by the social diversity of the urban population versus villagers and farmers of the western rural slopes, the Bedouins of the eastern desert slopes and the refugees who, since the war of 1948, live in refugee camps in the peripheries of the town of Bethlehem.

The main three cities of Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, and Beit Jala are inhabited by one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, although the size of the community has shrunk due to emigration.

Emigration has affected Palestine a lot. Due to the continuous unrest, occupation, and search for means of living the emigration drain started in the twentieth century. Bethlehem area is not different from other Palestinian areas. The first strong wave of migration took place after the First World War and mostly to Latin America. The continuous economic difficulties forced this migration to continue until today and it is reported that nearly 55% of the local Christians are currently living in the Diaspora within affluent societies. The emigration of some of the district's urban population and successful international trade with east and west at the turn of the century allowed the repatriation of riches and the construction of the beautiful homes in greater Bethlehem area. On the other hand this movement caused the loss of the young and educated elements. It is reported that 57.38% of the households in the Bethlehem District have close relatives living abroad. Most (60.3%) of the relatives abroad live in Jordan. About 32.2% of the relatives living abroad have an Israeli identity card, and 18.2% lost their ID card. The corresponding figures for the remaining West Bank are 42.5% and 15.4% respectively.

Christians constitute (28%) of the district total population and (72%) are Moslems.  (92%) of the working force in the Bethlehem district are permanent residents, while (2%) live elsewhere in the West Bank, (2%) in Jordan, (2%) in other Arab countries and 2% outside the Middle East region. Bethlehem Governorate population makes up (7.3%) of the West Bank population.

At the end of the year 2011 the PCBS projected number of Palestinians in the world to be 11.22 million, of whom 4.23 million are in the 1967 occupied Palestine, 1.37 million in Israel (1948 occupied Palestine), 4.99 million in Arab countries and around 636 thousand in other countries. However, the total fertility rate in the West Bank and Gaza has declined in 2010 to 4.2 births compared with 6 births in 1997, while it is lower in Bethlehem governorate.

.  Overall the total fertility rate (the number of children a woman will get under prevailing fertility conditions) is 4.97, and it is 5.61 for the remaining West Bank. There is evidence that fertility has started to decline in this District as in the remaining West Bank as a whole. On the average, a married Palestinian woman has 4.86 children, of which 0.31 are dead. The corresponding figures for the remaining West Bank are 4.82 and 0.30, respectively. Currently the age at first birth is 19.51 years. Of the households, about 2 1 % have no children below 1 5 living with one or both of their parents, compared to 22% in the remaining West Bank.

Having shown a steady decline in recent years, the infant mortality rate was 3 per thousand births, while the child mortality (U5MR) was 38, on average.

Health

Health

The medical services in Bethlehem are numerous and fairly well developed. Of the six hospitals in Bethlehem, three are maternity, one is psychiatric, one is pediatric and one is a general hospital. The total number of hospital beds is estimated at 506. There are 32 primary health care clinics in the Bethlehem district of which 16 are sponsored by NGO's (non-governmental organizations), 14 by private proprietary organizations, and two are associated with UNRWA. (United Nations Relief Works Agency). There are five ambulance vehicles and 133 physicians. In addition, there are 341 nurses and 27 dentists.

The district contains a large number of charitable societies and non-governmental organizations which offer health services unavailable in Palestine. A new wastewater collection network was recently constructed in the three towns of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour. Approximately 99% of the population has access to drinkable piped water supply.

Hospitals

1- Al-Dibs Hospital, Maternity       Tel: 2744242
2- Al-Hussein Hospital, General     Tel: 2741161
3- Beit Sahour Cooperative Health Clinic.     Tel: 2774443
4- Al-Yamamah Hospital, General.       Tel: 2764444
5- The Holy Family Hospital.      Tel: 2741151,Fax:2741154

Benevolent Societies, Medical Institutions & Clinics.

1. Women Child Care Society
P.O.B. 313, Beit Jala.
Near Orthodox Church
Tel: 742507, Fax: 742204

2. Holy Land Christian Mission
Mount David Orthopaedic Hospital.
Manger Street, P.O.B. 24
Tel: 742600, Fax: 741914

3. Knights of Malta
Hospital of the Holy Family
Sisters of St. Vincent of Paul,
P.O.B. 8. Tel: 741151, Fax: 741175

4. Beit Sahour Medical Center
P.O.B. 44, Beit Sahour, Tel: 6474443

5. Holy Family Care Center,
Near Milk Grotto, P.O.B. 966, Tel: 6470002., Fax: 6470002

6. Caritas Baby Hospital,
Pediatric, Tel: 741171

Institutions for the Handicapped

1. Epheta Institute,
School for Audiophonetic Rehabilitation of Deaf Children,
Paul VI Street, P.O.B. 105.
Tel: 742568, Fax: 745576

2. House of Hope for the Blind and the Mentally Handicapped.
Hebron Road, P.O.B. 27 Across Epheta
Tel: 742325, Fax: 740928

3. Psychiatric Hospital of the Government
El-Jabal Street, Sisters of St. Dorothea, P.O.B. 60
Tel: 741155, Fax: 741657

4. Swedish International Relief Association (SIRA).
Special Education School, helps the slow learners.
Beit Jala Road, P.O.B. 167. Tel: 742597, Fax: 741254

5. Siloah Mission
Rehabilitation Center for Physically Handicapped,
P.O.B. 177, Beit Jala, Tel: 741373

6. Terre des Hommes
P.O.B. 20180, Tel: 742485, Fax: 747549

7. Bethlehem Arab Society for the Physically Handicapped
Cremisan Street, P.O.B. 100, Beit Jala,
 Tel: 744050, Fax: 744053

Health Centers

Name Tel Fax Description Bethlehem Dental Center 2743303 Clinics Al-Dibis Maternity 2744242 Hospitals Al-Hussein Government 2741161 Hospitals Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation 2744049/51 2744053 Hospitals Caritas Baby 2758500 2758501 Hospitals Mental Health 2741155 Hospitals Shepherd's Field Hospital 2775092 Hospitals St. Mary's Maternity 2742443 Hospitals The Holy Family 2741151 2741154 Hospitals

Education

Education

Education is compulsory for nine years. The district has 75 public schools and 19 private schools. These educational institutions are operated by either the government, private organizations (mainly churches), and the UNRWA. In Bethlehem private schools are dominant.

After completing 12 years of school and passing the Tawjihi examination, students may attend a university in their country or abroad.

Bethlehem University

  Bethlehem University is one of the leading institutions for higher education in Palestine. It was founded in 1973, with the administrative cooperation of the De La Salle Brothers and the Vatican. It was established after the visit of Pope Paul VI to the Holy Land in 1964. During this visit, his holiness called for the foundation of new institutions to improve the quality of life for the people of the area. One of the specific priorities cited was a university for young Palestinians in their homeland. Bethlehem University offers Baccalaureate degrees in accounting, Arabic, biology, business administration, chemistry, elementary education, English, mathematics, nursing, physics, physiotherapy, sociology and social work. Diplomas are granted in clinical supervision, elementary education, hotel management, midwifery, pilgrim tour guiding, pre-school education, religious education, secondary education, tourism and travel agency management.

The main building of the University, constructed in 1893, houses the general administrative offices and most of the Faculty of Arts. A chapel annex was built in 1907. The Library, dedicated in 1978, houses about 60,000 volumes and includes a special collection of microfiche and microfilm on the Middle East, and a Palestinian collection.

The Science Building, opened in 1980, contains laboratories and classrooms and a computer center. The Social and Cultural Center, dedicated in 1991, contains a cafeteria, an assembly hall, offices and rooms for art, music, physical fitness and athletics. A residence for the Christian Brothers is on campus. The Mar Andrea Women's Hostel located off-campus, was completed in 1979; on the same property is a convent to house religious women who teach at the University.

Bethlehem University has grown from an initial enrollment of 78 students to some 2200, well over half of whom are women. The University has been frequently closed down by the Israeli authorities after demonstrations against the occupation. It is a short walk up the hill from Hebron road.

Al-Quds Open University

Established in 1985, the University applies an Open and Distance Learning system. The language of study is Arabic and the University applies a credit hour system where the scholastic year consists of two main semesters and a summer session. Every student may register between two and twenty one credit hours per semester. The University awards the first university degree in Agriculture, Social and Family Development, Applied Science and Technology, Management & Enterpreneurship and Education.

Bethlehem Bible College

Founded in 1979, the Bible College provides training for Palestinians and other Christians wanting to become teachers, pastors, educators, church workers, evangelists, tour guides and administrators. The tour guide program helps train and provide licensed and qualified guides in anticipation of the increasing influx of tourists. The classes are conducted in Arabic. The summer Foreign Students Studies Program is conducted in English. The college accepts students from all denominations and offers courses by an outstanding faculty who combine high academic standards and deep spiritual commitment. Community Education Courses are offered for adults in the Bethlehem area.

The International Center of Bethlehem

  The International Center is a church-related organization. Its work is directed towards building a civil society and a sustainable economic development, and taking the Palestinian cultural heritage into consideration. The main programs are: women's studies, international relations, adult education, alternative tourism and German-Palestinian Exchange. The Center offers modern facilities that are ideal for holding seminars, lectures, and conferences.

Adjacent to the center is the Abu Gubran Guest House, which offers the opportunity to experience and enjoy the finest Arabic hospitality and to become acquainted with the beliefs and culture of the people of the Holy Land. Through the International Center of Bethlehem and the Abu-Gubran Guest House, people of all ages and cultures can participate in such cultural activities as the arts, music and literature, as well as the German and Arabic language courses.

Al-Lika' Center for Heritage & Religious Studies in the Holy Land

The Center is located at the entrance of Bethlehem, near Rachel's Tomb. It is a place of research and study on the religious traditions and institutions of the people of the Holy Land and the region. The program includes annual conferences, interfaith dialogues, Palestinian contextualized theology in the Holy Land, international activities and the publication of al-Lika' Journal, a newsletter, books and occasional papers.

Tantur

  Tantur is the Arabic term for hilltop. A chapel and a hospital, supported by the Latin Order of St. John, were seen on the hilltop from 1846 until 1964. After the Pope's 1964 pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the Vatican purchased the Tantur terrain, then leased it to an ecumenical board to establish an international ecumenical institute for theological research and pastoral studies. The primary concern of Tantur continues to be the promotion of inter-confessional and intercultural dialogue through advanced study and research. Resident junior and senior scholars do independent research or work with others on a major theme in biblical, historical, liturgical and theological studies. The Institute houses a large and impressive library of 75.000 vols. and a Biblical Garden.

List of Libraries in Bethlehem

1.      Bethlehem University Library
Frères Street, P.O.B. 9,
Tel: 741243, Fax: 744440
Hours: Mon-Fri: 8.00-16.00
Open to the public on request. 60,000 vols. Academic collection, mainly in Arabic and English. Special collections include a Palestinian division and an audio-visual center.

2.      Bethlehem Bible College
Hebron Road, P.O.B. 127
Hours: Mon-Fri 8.00-16.00
Sat: 8.00-12.00. 15,000 vols. Christian books, Arabic, English. Tel: 741190, Fax: 743278

3.      Pontifical Mission Library
Frères Street (Beside Bethlehem University). Hours: Mon-Fri: 9:00-12:00, 1:30-16:30. 30,000 vols. General collection in Arabic, English, French, Spanish. Videotheque (also in Arabic). Tel: 743077, Fax: 743077.

4.      Studio Teologico Salesiano ''S. Paolo”
Bethlehem, Cremisan,
P.O.B. 160
Hours: Mon-Sat: 8.00-12.00, 14.30-18.30. 6,000 vols.
Philosophical, theological, biblical material etc. Italian, French, English, Arabic, 1000 scientific periodicals. Tel: 742605,
Fax: 742847

5.      Latin Patriarchate Seminary Library.
Open to the public on request. 30,000 vols. Collection in Arabic, French, English and Italian. Philosophical and theological material. Tel: 742612, 742885.

6.      The Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies.
75,000 vols.
Hours: 8:00-12:00 a.m.,
2:00-4:00 p.m.
Tel: 6760911,
Fax: 6760914.

List of Educational Institutions:

1.      Bethlehem University:
Tel: 274 1241/2,3, Fax: 274 4440
Email: Webmaster@bethlehem.edu

2.      Bethlehem Bible college:
Tel: 274 1190, Fax: 274 3278.
Email:100320.3455@compuserve.com

3.      The International Center of Bethlehem
Tel: 277 0047, Fax: 277 0048.
Email: annadwa@planet.edu

4.      Tantur Ecumenical Institute
Tel: 676 0911, Fax: 6760914

5.      The Pontifical Mission Library:
 Tel: 274 3077

6.      The Open University:
Tel: 274 7387, Fax: 274 7388

7.      The Salisian Industrial College:
Tel: 274 2421

8.      Al-Lika' Center :
Telfax: 274 1639

Governmental Schools in Bethlehem:

1-Bethlehem Secondary School for Boys
2-Bethlehem Secondary School for Girls
3-Bethlehem Preparatory School for Boys
4-Bethlehem Prepartory School for Girls
5-Al-Mahd Elementary School
6-Al-Mahd Preparatory School
7-Al-Ala’yyah School

Private Schools

Bethlehem
1-Syrian Catholic School,
Manger Street. P.O.B. 199, Tel: 742497, Fax: 740334, Kg.
2-Terra Sancta High School,
P.O.B. 92, Tel: 742237, Fax: 6470314, Kg. El. Prep. Sec.
3-College des Frères,
Abdel Nasser Street, P.O.B. 261, Tel: 743244, Fax: 743244, Kg. El. Prep, Sec.
4-Don Bosco Salesian Technical School, 
Paul VI Street. P.O.B. 41, Tel: 742421, Fax: 747162, Technical, Secondary
5-Terra Santa Girls’ School,
Star Street, P.O.B. 65, Tel: 742680, Kg, El, Prep. Sec.
6-Rosary Sisters’ School,
Star Street, Tel: 742682, Kg. El.
7-Mar,
P.O.B. 1010, Tel: 744757, Kg.
8-Evangelical Lutheran School, Dar al-Kalimah,
P.O.B. 73, Tel: 744245, Fax: 744245, Kg. El. Prep.
9- Iftah School
10- Zuhur Filistin School
11- Salah ad-Din School
12- Al-Ikha’ al-Islami School
13- Al-Ibrahimyah Society School
14-Islamic Society School
15- Al-Malha Islamic School
16- S.0.S School

Beit Sahour

1-Latin Patriarchate School
P.0.B. 22, Tel: 6472278, Kg. El. Prep.
2-Greek Catholic Patriarchal School,
P.O.B. 63, Bishop Abu Sa’ada Street, Tel: 6472424, Fax: 742424, Kg. El. Prep. Sec.
3-Evangelical Lutheran School,
P.O.B. 55, Tel: 6472720, Fax: 6472204, Kg. El. Prep. Sec.
4-Greek Orthodox Secondary School. 
Tel: 647 2042, Kg. El. Prep. Sec.
5- The Islamic Society School.

Beit Jala

1-Latin Patriarchate School,
P.O.B. 3, Tel: 742624, Fax: 742612, Kg. El. Prep. Sec.
2-Ev. Lutheran School Talitha Kumi,
P.O.B. 7, Talitha Kumi Street,
Tel: 741247, Fax: 741847,
E-mail: talitha@planet.edu
3-Hope Secondary School,
P.O.B. 5, Tel: 742268, Fax: 744332, Prep. Sec.

The Historical Framework

The Historical Framework

The origins of man's presence in Bethlehem go back into the mists of time. Archeological findings attest this presence since the Bronze Age. The city of Bethlehem was probably first established as an assembly of nomads around the water source located 200 meters from the Nativity Grotto. Ephrata, the fruitful, a village of Cannanite farmers and cattle-breeders, formed the nucleus of Bethlehem. The town's name originated from "the house of Lahma', in Aramaic meaning "the house of bread" resounding the name "Lahama", the Akkadian deity of fertility.

Bethlehem was first mentioned in the Book of Genesis; this is where Rachel, Jacob's wife, died in childbirth. Her tomb is located at the entrance of the city. Centuries later, this was also where Ruth married Boaz, and whose grandson became known as King David. Bethlehem developed international fame as the birthplace of Jesus Christ the Saviour. Jesus is also venerated by Moslems as the divinely inspired prophet Issa, making the city holy to Christians as well as to Moslems. Emperor Constantine's mother, Saint Helena, built a basilica above the Grotto in. 325 A.D. which stands until today and forms the natural center of the town and district. Since the second century, the city received many notable pilgrims among which is Saint Jerome who, in the fourth century, dwelled in a cave adjacent to that of the Nativity and carried out the first translation of the Bible into Latin.

In 529, the church was partly destroyed by the Persians and rebuilt by Emperor Justinian in 531. In the seventh century, when Palestine was included within the Islamic Empire, the Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab entered Bethlehem in 638 and signed a treaty with the Christians of the town safeguarding their lives, their lay and religious property and their freedom of worship.

With the arrival of the Crusaders, Godfrey de Bouillon sent Tancrede to occupy the Basilica and town before he entered Jerusalem in 1099. Kings Baldwin 1 and Baldwin 11 were crowned in Bethlehem. After the reconquest of the Holy Land by Saladin (Salah El-din) in the twelfth century, Bethlehem lost importance and shrank to become a small town during the rule of the Fatimids, the Mamluks and the Ottomans. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the town experienced a wave of Western Christian missionaries who came to establish convents, schools and hospitals in the Holy Land with significant contributions in new construction, education and health care organizations and improved trade.

The British Mandate was established over the whole of Palestine after the First World War until 1948 and the creation of Israel. As of 1952, Bethlehem was placed under Jordanian jurisdiction together with the rest of the West Bank until the Israeli occupation of 1967. By Christmas 1995, and after almost 30 years of occupation, the town celebrated Palestinian autonomy in the presence of President Arafat.

Bethlehem Map