| al-Khader | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | الخضر |
| • Also spelled | al-Khadr (official) |
| Eastern al-Khader and Solomon's Pools | |
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al-Khader
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| Coordinates: | |
| Governorate | Bethlehem |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Head of Municipality | Ramzi Salah |
| Area | |
| • Jurisdiction | 19,882 dunams (19.9 km2 / 7.7 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 9,774 |
| Name meaning | "the [town] of Saint George" |
Al-Khader (Arabic: الخضر) is a Palestinian town in the Bethlehem Governorate in the south-central West Bank. It is located 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) west of Bethlehem. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 9,774 in 2007.[1]
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The site of al-Khader was first inhabited by the Canaanites. In 1953, five arrowheads of javelins dating from the 11th century BC, were discovered in al-Khader with Canaanite inscriptions. The translations were "dart of 'Abd Labi't".[2]
Al-Khader is named after Saint George who in Arab culture is al-Khadr. According to local tradition, Saint George was imprisoned in al-Khader where the current Monastery of St. George stands. The chains holding him were relics that were said to hold healing power.[3]
Since the construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier around al-Khader, several thousand dunams of farmland have been separated from the village, with the inhabitants unable to access them without a permit. In 2006, 50 villagers protested the barrier by filling bags with grapes and selling them along Route 60. Israeli soldiers and police attempted to quell protesters resulting in the injuries and detainment of two residents.[4]
In the British Mandate census in 1922, al-Khader had a population of 697, increasing to 913 by 1931.[5] In Sami Hadawi's land and population survey in 1945, the town had 1,130 inhabitants and a total land area of 20,100 dunams. It was a part of the Jerusalem District.[6] The Orthodox Christian Church owns several hundreds of dunams made up of vineyards, olive groves and field crops. The lands were entrusted to them since the Rashidun Caliphate under Umar conquered Palestine in the late 600s. Most of the land is leased to Muslim farmers since there is no Christian population in the town, except for the one monk in the Monastery of St. George.[7]
In 1997, the PCBS recorded a population of 6,802 of which 3,606 were males and 3,196 were females.[8] Unlike many Palestinian towns in the area, refugees and their descendants do not have a substantial population in al-Khader. In 1997, 5.2% of the town's inhabitants were recorded as refugees.[9] In the 2007 PCBS census, al-Khader had a population of 9,774.[1]
The Orthodox Christian Monastery of St. George and Solomon's Pools are located in al-Khader and are main tourist attractions.[10] Palestinian Christians from Bethlehem, Beit Sahour and Beit Jala and Muslims from al-Khader flock to the monastery to celebrate the Feast of Saint George in early May. Solomon's Pools, named after Suleiman the Magnificentthe tenth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, were built by the Romans under Herod the Great to provide water for the aqueduct built to supply water to Bethlehem and Jerusalem where it terminated under the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The pools are only accessible to Palestinians.[11] Al-Khader's main and oldest mosque is the al-Hamadiyya Mosque. In 2007, it was burned down by Israeli settlers. The mosque is about 700 years old and was restored by the Tourism Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority.[12]
Al-Khader is also well-known in the area for its peaches, grapes and apples. It hosts its annual Grape Festival every September. The festival was initiated by the al-Khader municipality to promote the town's primary agricultural product, grapes. Other exhibitions held at the festival include one on embroidery and knitting, a local heritage exhibition of mills, grinders, and harvest tools, and an exhibition of home-made grape products such as dibs (molasses made from grapes).[13] Al-Khader Stadium which holds a capacity of 6,000 is located in the town.
Al-Khader is governed by a municipal council of thirteen members including the mayor. In the 2005 municipal elections, the Hamas-affiliated Reform list won the most seats (five), while the Fatah-affiliated Falasteen al-Ghad list won four seats. Two independent lists — Al-Aqsa and Abnaa al-Balad — each won two seats.[14]
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