Bethlehem 2005

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Bethlehem 2005
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Tourism

• Based on the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics
  there has been a dramatic increase in the number
  of tourists and pilgrims visiting Bethlehem
  during 2005.
• While 110,000 tourists visited the city during
  2004, more than 218,000 have already visited
  Bethlehem during 2005 - an increase of around
  100.
• While last Christmas more than 15,000 pilgrims
  visited Bethlehem, this November alone there have
  been over 30,000 visitors.
• 25,000 tourists stayed overnight - 33 increase
  from 2004.

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Tourist Statistics
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International events in Bethlehem

• Peace Marathon (14/04/05) 40 Italian, Israeli
  and Palestinian athletes participated in this
  race.
• Korean March (10/08/05) thousands of Koreans
  walked from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
• Lutheran Church conference (August-September
  2005) held in Jerusalem with participants from
  Bethlehem.

The Korean March
Peace Marathon
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The Economy

• Both 2004 and 2005 have witnessed an ongoing
  improvement in economic activity in Bethlehem
• 100 increase in the number of tourists
• 10 increase in overall financial transaction in
  2005.
• 50 increase in the textile industry in 2004.
• 40 increase in overseas sales of stone and
  marble in 2004.
• 20 increase in commercial transportation.

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Accessing Bethlehem

• On the 15th November a new terminal called
  Rachels Passage was officially opened.
• Between the 15th 26th November 2005, 11,419
  tourists utilised the passage thats over 1,000
  tourists a day!
• The passage allows for a greater volume of people
  to cross into Israel, reducing waiting times to
  around 15 minutes.
• Ambulances and emergency vehicles cross with
  almost no delay whatsoever.
• The passage is one of several passages used for
  travel to and from Bethlehem.

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Accessing Bethlehem

• Under normal circumstances, thousands of
  Palestinians cross into Israel daily for
  healthcare or educational purposes for
  employment or business or to participate in
  religious ceremonies.
• Passes and permits are issued in coordination
  between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
• People of Bethlehem wishing to travel to
  neighbouring West Bank towns and villages can do
  so without permits.
• Permits are only required for travelling into
  Israel.

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Bethlehem - General

• No Israeli military personnel are stationed
  inside Bethlehem.
• There is no fence encircling Bethlehem.
• There is only a fence where the Bethlehem area
  interfaces with Jerusalem and close to the 1949
  armistice line.
• Only a very small segment of the fence is a
  concrete wall preventing terrorists from shooting
  at motorists (a chain-link fence would have been
  useless in such cases).

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Christians in Bethlehem

• Around 45,000 Christians live in Bethlehem and
  its vicinity - constituting two thirds of all
  the Christian population in the West Bank.
• In the years 1994 - 2003, after the PA assumed
  control of Bethlehem and before the security
  barrier was even constructed, over 10,000
  Christians left Bethlehem.
• Among the reasons for this emigration is the
  eruption of violence in Sep 2000, growing
  economic difficulties, and increased pressure on
  the Christian community by Moslem extremists (see
  for example the dossier compiled by the Custos
  Fr. Pizzaballa, which highlights the occurrence
  of violent incidents against the Christian
  community).