Beit Jala
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| Beit Jala | |
| Arabic | بيت جالا |
| Government | Municipality |
| Governorate | Bethlehem |
| Population | 16,690 (2006) |
| Jurisdiction | 12,911 dunams (13.0 km²) |
| Head of Municipality | Raji George Jadallah Zeidan |
Beit Jala (Arabic: بيت جالا , possibly from Aramaic 'grass carpet', is a small Palestinian city in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank. It is located about 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem, at about 825 meters (2,707 ft) altitude. According to 1997 statistics compiled by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Beit Jala has 12,239 inhabitants, predominantly Christian Palestinians with a Muslim minority. The children of many Beit Jala residents have emigrated to Chile.
Beit Jala is home to educational institutions run by a variety of Christian denominations. A Russian Orthodox school was established in 1870. The Latin Patriarchate Seminary, which supervises religious liturgical education in the Jerusalem Patriarchate, moved to Beit Jala in 1936. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the West Bank runs the Talitha Kumi School, which is closely linked to the German Lutheran community. The school runs an environmental education program and operates the only bird-ringing station in the Palestinian sector.
Beit Jala has a hospital and three societies for the disabled: the Bethelehem Arab Society, [1] Lifegate Rehabilitation [2] and House Jemima, [3] a Dutch-founded home and daycare-center for children with mental disabilities.
3,500 acres (14 km²) of land are planted with olives, grapes and other crops. Cremisan Cellars, located in the Cremisan monastery, is an important local winemaker. The Beit Jala skyline is dominated by six churches and two mosques. The Church of the Virgin Mary is the oldest church and the Church of Saint Nicholas is regarded as the most important. According to tradition, St. Nicholas spent four years in the Holy Land. Both of these churches are Orthodox Christian.
On January 6, 1952 an Israeli military raid was carried out on the Palestinian town of Beit Jala. The Beit Jalla reprisal raid was a seminal point in the escalation of the "Border Wars" in the Arab Israeli conflict where Israel began a series of organised military reprisal raids across the cease fire lines. Commander Hutchison of the US navy investigated the Jordanian complaint of a violation of the General Armistice agreement at Beit Jalla on behalf of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO) as Chairman of the Mixed Armistice Commission (MAC) for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan/Israel Mixed Armistice Commission (HKJIMAC).[4]
Beit Jala is famous for its olive wood souvenirs. Other economic branches are tobacco, textiles, agriculture and pharmaceuticals.
During the al-Aqsa Intifada, Tanzim militants used Beit Jala as a base for shooting at the Jewish Settlement of Gilo, which is located on an hilltop directly across from it.
[edit] 2005 municipal election
In the 2005 municipal election, 6 seats went to the United Beit Jala list (Fatah and Palestinian People's Party), 5 seats went to Sons of the Land (PFLP and independents), one seat went to Independent Beit Jala Group and one candidate was elected as an independent. The most popular candidate was Raji George Jadallah Zeidan of United Jala with 2,892 votes, followed by Nadir Antoun Issa Abu Amsha of Sons of the Land with 1764 votes.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Bethlehem Arab Society
- ^ Lifegate Rehabilitation
- ^ House Jemima
- ^ E H Hutchison “Violent Truce”A Military Observer Looks at the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1951 1955
- ^ Municipal Election results
[edit] External links
- Official Site of Beit Jala City
- Talitha Kumi School
- House Jemima
- Lifegate Rehabilitation
- Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation
- Nativity Hotel in Beit Jala
- Arja Textile
- Al-Harah Theater the only theater in the Bethlehem area.
- E H Hutchison “Violent Truce”A Military Observer Looks at the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1951 1955
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