BETHLEHEM (Bayt Lahm)

An Arab city in the West Bank, Bethlehem is located five and a half miles (eight kilometers) south of Jerusalem. According to the Gospels, it was the birthplace of Jesus. In the fourth century, Constantine built the Basilica of the Nativity there, over the grotto that is traditionally considered the site of Jesus' birth. Since then, the church has become a place of Christian pilgrimage. It is situated near the tomb of Rachel, a Jewish holy place.

Bethlehem had a population that was mostly Christian until 1948. In 1944 its population was less than 9,000; in 1948 it was 14,000; by 2003 it was estimated to be 27,000, about half Christian and half Muslim. An additional 25,000 people live in the adjacent towns of Bayt Jala and Bayt Sahur. Three nearby refugee camps established in 1948—Dheisheh, Aida, and Bayt Jibrin—are home to another 20,000 people. Bethlehem is also the site of Bethlehem University, a Roman Catholic institution that was founded as a secondary school in 1893 and became a university in 1973.

Bethlehem is located in a Palestinian autonomous zone, under the Oslo Accords. In April and May 2002, the Church of the Nativity was the site of a five-week-long siege by Israeli forces who were seeking to apprehend a group of militants they accused of being terrorists, who had taken refuge there from the Israel Defense Force (IDF). The incident ended with a deal that allowed the men to leave the country. In June, like other West Bank cities, Bethlehem was reoccupied by the Israelis and placed under military control, with 24-hour curfews. Although Bethlehem is a regional center of trade, its local economy is heavily dependent on tourism, which has been greatly reduced since 2001 by the ongoing al-Aqsa Intifada and Israeli military activity. When the Israeli separation wall is completed, it will run just to the north of Bethlehem, cutting the city off from Jerusalem.

SEE ALSO Aqsa Intifada, al-;Bethlehem University;Oslo Accords.