There is a huge wall surrounding Bethlehem, which is to keep the terrorists out. Bethlehem’s unemployment is at 50%, hotels are mostly empty, and tourism is at a low. The Church of the Nativity is hidden which is most likely a good thing because it has survived 14 centuries. The entrance to it has shrunk over the years and now you have to practically bend yourself in half to get through it. Beneath the chapel in the church, in a cave, is where Jesus was born. When it comes to Bethlehem, the one thing that most people talk about is land.

            The Dead Sea is the lowest area on Earth. After World War Two, the United Nations decided to split up Israel, then called the British Mandate for Palestine. The Jews accepted the plan but the Arabs did not and they had war after war. Many Palestinians were forced to leave or fled, and went to either the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. Many people in Israel carry guns with them, even when they go to worship. One man, Seth Mandell, carries a nine-millimeter Glock in a fanny pack when he goes for walks in the wilderness. His son and a friend were bludgeoned to death with stones in a cave by that walk, and the killers were never caught.

            Many people still love the land, and would not want to move from it even with all the violence. They say they have a spiritual connection to the land. The Palestinians have fought back several times against the Israeli government. That is why the wall was built, and the only Jews who regularly visit Bethlehem are soldiers. Many times these sparks of violence were started by someone throwing stones at soldiers. One man in a refugee camp says that, “Everyone in camp hates the Jews.” At least two suicide bombers have come from this camp. His friend was a suicide bomber and killed 11 people. He says he is proud of him because he did something great. He said that the Israelis put them in this situation with nothing, and when you have nothing, you have nothing to lose.

            Some believe that the Israelis will eventually lose, because the Palestinian population is growing faster than the Jewish population. The Christians in Bethlehem feel like outsiders in their own city. They dress differently than the Muslims and they usually do not even talk to each other, and intermarrying is basically nonexistent. The mayor of Bethlehem must be Christian and even he is treated like any other person from Bethlehem, with extreme suspicion even though he is 73 years old. Even the priests of the Church of the Nativity argue and fight over things. The entire place is like a war zone. The mayor said, “If the world is ever going to have peace, it has to start right here.”