Where is bethlehem palestine

Most of our land was stolen for the [sake of] Israeli settlements. Fadi Kattan, a Palestinian chef who owns and operates the boutique Hosh Al-Syrian Guesthouse and its cafe, believes tourism should extend beyond the Christmas season and that changes should be made to entice visitors to stay in Bethlehem during the rest of the year.

Built in the 4th century, the Church of the Nativity has undergone several makeovers due to both natural and man-made disasters. Almost 85 percent of the restoration has been completed, including repairs to water-damaged windows and a leaky roof. Munther Isaac, the Lutheran pastor of Bethlehem and a prominent Palestinian theologian. The challenge, Isaac said, is to look at the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through the eyes of Jesus.

She tweets DaliaHatuqa and her work can be found at www. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding.

Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. People walk past an inflatable Santa Claus along a street market in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on December 7, Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. Christians in Palestine attend a mass to mark the return of a wooden fragment reputed to be from the crib of Jesus in Bethlehem, West Bank on November 30, Palestinians and peace activists take part in the annual peace march in Beit Sahour, a Palestinian town near Bethlehem, on December 21, It is impossible to say that the archaeology confirms Christ was born there.

According to the Bible, Mary and Joseph either came to Bethlehem for a census, or they already lived there. We also have these very specific descriptions of what the town was like at the time. When pilgrims visited later, after Rome had become Christian, people did describe a manger. But it sounds more likely to have been a trough than a manger. This was on display at one point, and it fits the picture of a town where the water supply is the most important thing.

Though less famous, it is also the location for another momentous cultural event: the first artistic portrayal of two humans making love. Tell us about the Ain Sakhri lovers —and the work of biblical historian, Karen Armstrong. Bethlehem is very close to the Dead Sea. It became evident that it was two people having sex. Karen Armstrong has a theory of world history before history gets written, where nomads track across the desert eventually establishing towns as they go, creating little pockets of their civilization and telling stories about themselves.

They were nomads who found that if they stayed in one spot, they could have everything they needed. In the hills they can grow almonds, which were the first trees to be cultivated. Then, olive trees. This lifestyle gave them enough free time to sit down and start thinking about sex—and carving some sculptures.

Bethlehem is a collection of very fertile villages that grows almonds and, more importantly, olives for oil. The older water supply was contaminated by the animals slaughtered in the temple. They needed fresh water and this came from Bethlehem. Bethlehem was built specifically to sit on top of the aquifer and be the defensive military installation guarding the whole infrastructure.

About 2, years ago, they built a reservoir. In her late teens, she was a barmaid somewhere near Isthmia or Smyrna. She married a very ambitious Roman general, who had divorced his first wife, and they had a son, who became the emperor Constantine.

At a great age, his mother became the most powerful woman in the empire and a very influential Christian. Christianity seemed to appeal to wealthy Roman women because many of them had built up large inherited fortunes, either through divorce or death. Christianity became a roundabout way in which they could have influence. Helena was one of these women, and the most powerful of them. The church she built in Bethlehem is unlike any other.

She picked the spot because the Roman bishop of Caesarea took her there, and the locals pointed out the spot that had, for the previous years, been where pilgrims had celebrated. She saw this little cave and this ceramic manger or trough where people worshipped Christ.

She was celebrating a site that already existed. The church she built is unlike any other. She basically burrowed into the cave, opened up the top of it, put a roof on and built a rotunda with a balcony, so you could look down into the cave. It was St. Helena who created the famous little town of Bethlehem. She put the place on the map as the center of pilgrimage.

But Israelis are by and large forbidden by their government from visiting this particular oasis of cosy calm. Singer serves arguably the best espresso con panna in any conflict zone on the planet.

Known for being the hometown of King David and the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the biblical-but-still-bustling little town of Bethlehem has a new miracle afoot: a renaissance of Palestinian culture and coolness. While the occupation accounts for land more than a quarter of the size of Israel — and in recent months, the Israeli government has embraced annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank — life under Israeli control is particularly evident in Bethlehem, where an 8m-tall concrete separation barrier was built by Israel in with the declared aim of stopping suicide bombings and attacks Israel says it has been an effective deterrent.

Yet, the culture that has since flourished resembles the madcap making-do styles of Havana, Valparaiso or the former East Berlin: a flower that blooms in rubble. The impish British artist known as Banksy first put up political artwork in Bethlehem in nine graffiti drawings that debuted on the separation barrier. The Walled Off also hosts a gallery of local artists , runs a museum dedicated to the history of the wall and conducts twice-daily tours of the nearby Aida Palestinian refugee camp.

Its profits go to local projects. We can live out of nothing, make out of nothing. Now it looks like Havana. That is the power of art — not just beauty, but also strength. It cuts to your humanity, to our shared humanity. No thanks! In all these cases, Bethlehemites have rewritten their narrative by reappropriating and reclaiming their uncertain, uneasy lives.

Surveillance cameras mounted like hunting trophies line the lobby of The Walled Off hotel Richard Morgan. The driving principle of this renaissance is sumud, a Palestinian concept of solidarity by way of proud, persevering existence. Sumud is the recent dramatic facelift given to Star Street , the pilgrimage path of Mary and Joseph as they searched for room at an inn, which has given the centuries-old street new life and relevance, including a spate of new festivals.