Bethlehem’s population of 29,000 is primarily Muslim. Arab Christians make up less than one-third of the population.
It is located five miles southwest of Jerusalem. "Bethlehem" is Hebrew and Aramaic meaning "House of Bread." Bethlehem is known by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus.
The Church of the Nativity, built by Constantine the Great in 330, stands in the center of Bethlehem over a cave called the Holy Crypt, which according to Christian tradition is the place where Jesus was born. This is perhaps the oldest existing Christian church in the world.
In 1950, following the first Arab-Israeli war (1948–1949), Bethlehem was annexed by Jordan. After the Six-Day War (1967), it became part of the West Bank territory under Israeli administration. Under an agreement reached in 1995, Israel ceded rule of the town to the Palestinian Authority.
The city is an important pilgrim and tourist center. It is also an important agricultural and trade center.
Bethlehem is home to Bethlehem University, a Roman Catholic institution which was founded in 1973 under the direction of the Vatican and the De La Salle Christian Brothers. The school has 2,800 students and is open to people of all faiths. (TAB)
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