Bethlehem
Bethlehem (Arabic: بيت لحم About this sound Bayt Laḥm (help·info) "House of Meat", Bēt Laḥm; Hebrew: בֵּית לֶחֶם Bēṯ Leḥem, Modern: Bet Leḥem [bet ˈleχem], lit. "House of Bread"; Ancient Greek: Βηθλεέμ [bɛːtʰle.ém]) is a Palestinian city located in the central West Bank, about 10 kilometers south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000 people.[4][5] It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. The economy is primarily tourist-driven.[6][7]
The earliest mention of the city was in the Amarna correspondence of 1350-1330 BCE during its habitation by the Canaanites. The Hebrew Bible identifies it as the city David was from and where he was crowned as the king of Israel. The New Testament identifies Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. Bethlehem was destroyed by the Emperor Hadrian during the second-century Bar Kokhba revolt; its rebuilding was promoted by Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, who commissioned the building of its great Church of the Nativity in 327 CE. The church was badly damaged by the Samaritans, who sacked it during a revolt in 529, but was rebuilt a century later by Emperor Justinian I.
The earliest mention of the city was in the Amarna correspondence of 1350-1330 BCE during its habitation by the Canaanites. The Hebrew Bible identifies it as the city David was from and where he was crowned as the king of Israel. The New Testament identifies Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. Bethlehem was destroyed by the Emperor Hadrian during the second-century Bar Kokhba revolt; its rebuilding was promoted by Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, who commissioned the building of its great Church of the Nativity in 327 CE. The church was badly damaged by the Samaritans, who sacked it during a revolt in 529, but was rebuilt a century later by Emperor Justinian I.
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 2 This was a very confronting sight. The town of Bethlehem - a holy site to Christians and Muslims alike is completely encircled by this concrete wall, topped with barbed wire and machine gun posts. The Israelies control who can go into Bethlehem, and who can leave it. It is exactly like entering a prison. You can see another photo later. |
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 10 A beautiful hotel - with a very close view of a Palistinian refugee camp from the back balcony. |
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 20 See what I mean? This wall completely surrounds Bethlehem. It really does look just like a prison. |
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 51 Think what you like - but for more than 2000 years this particular spot has been continuously revered as the spot where Jesus was borne. I certainly feel priviliged and humbled that we could literally touch this spot - and later in Jerusalem, the stone in the tomb in which he was laid after crucifixion. |
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 76 This is the sound heard each morning at dawn across the Palistinian areas. Click to listen. |
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