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History and Culture |
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Situated on a hill adjacent to Bethlehem, the city of Beit Jala has existed for thousands of years, |
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Location and Climate |
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Located just 10 km south of the old city of Jerusalem and bordering Bethlehem, Beit Jala is in the heart of Biblical Palestine. High up in the Judean Hills, the city is located on a long, steep, slope, with and average elevation of 758 meters above sea level. Its highest point, known as “the |
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Demographics and Economy |
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The Economy of Beit Jala is intrinsically linked to that of the greater Bethlehem district, which accounts for around 12% of the total GDP of the
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Demographic Statistics |
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Source: Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
Note: Survey figures represent statistics for all of the Bethlehem |
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Transportation |
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The best way for travelers to get around in Beit Jala and Bethlehem is to take a taxi; its hard to spend more than a minute on a street corner and not have one pass you. Taxis in Palestine, |
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The Occupation |
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Since the 1967 occupation of the West Bank by Israel, Beit Jala has suffered tremendously. Originally containing 15,000 dunumns of land, Beit Jala now only contains 4.500 dunumns due to massive land confiscations by the Israeli Government in order to build the settlements of Gilo, Har Gilo, |
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Major Institutions |
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