Bethlehem (West Bank)

Bethlehem (West Bank) (Hebrew and Aramaic for “house of bread”), town in the West Bank, near Jerusalem, controlled since 1967 by Israel though administered since 1995 by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). The city has been the site of intermittent conflict between Israeli and Palestinian troops over the years, with both sides battling for control of the West Bank territory.

The town is specified in the Bible as the birthplace of both David (king of Judah and Israel) and Jesus Christ. Originally called Aphrath, the town is also referred to as Bethlehem-Judah to distinguish it from another Bethlehem (see Joshua 19:15-16) in the territory of the tribe of Zebulun.

Bethlehem is first mentioned in the Old Testament as the place where Rachel, the wife of the patriarch Jacob, was buried (see Genesis 35:19). According to the Book of Ruth, it later became the home of King David's ancestors and of David himself (see 1 Samuel 17:12). In the Book of Micah, Bethlehem is mentioned as the birthplace of the future Messiah (see Micah 5:2).

With the exception of Saint Mark, the authors of the Gospels claim Bethlehem as the birthplace of Christ and the town is thus regarded by Christians as a holy place. Bethlehem contains one of the oldest churches in the world, the Church of the Nativity, built by Constantine the Great, emperor of Rome, in ad 330 on the traditional site of the nativity. Despite rebuilding by the Roman Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century, much of the original church still stands, and the shrine is visited continuously by pilgrims from all branches of Christianity. The town is also known as Bayt Lahm. Population (1997 estimate) 21,947.