| Beit Jala | |||
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| Other transcription(s) | |||
| • Arabic | بيت جالا | ||
| • Also spelled | Bayt Jala (unofficial) | ||
| View of Beit Jala from Gilo | |||
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Beit Jala
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Governorate | Bethlehem | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Municipality | ||
| • Head of Municipality | Raji George Jadallah Zeidan[1] | ||
| Area | |||
| • Jurisdiction | 12,911 dunams (13.0 km2 / 5 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2007)[2] | |||
| • Jurisdiction | 11,758 | ||
| Name meaning | Carpet of Grass | ||
| Website | www.beitjala-city.org | ||
Beit Jala (Arabic: ) is an Arab Christian town in the Bethlehem Governorate of the West Bank. Beit Jala is located 10 km south of Jerusalem, on the western side of the Hebron road, opposite Bethlehem, at 825 meters (2,707 ft) altitude. In 1997, Beit Jala had 12,239 inhabitants, predominantly Christian Palestinians with a Muslim minority, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
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Cremisan Cellars, located in the Cremisan monastery, is an important local winemaker. The winery has operated since the establishment of the monastery in the 19th century. Modern equipment was introduced in 1997.[3] Beit Jala was once famous for its pork, olive oil, apricots and stone masonry.[4] Other economic branches are tobacco, textiles, agriculture and pharmaceuticals. The Beit Jala Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company (formerly Jordan Chemical Laboratory) was established in 1958 to manufacture generic drug pharmaceutical products for the local market.[5]
Beit Jala has a government-run 113-bed hospital, and a 77-bed privately-run specialized surgery hospital operated by the Arab Society for Rehabilitation. Primary health care is provided by the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health. In addition, there are many charities, medical institutions and private health clinics.[6] Societies for the disabled in Beit Jala include the Bethelehem Arab Society,[7] Lifegate Rehabilitation[8] and House Jemima, a Dutch-founded home and daycare-center for children with mental disabilities.[9]
Beit Jala is home to educational institutions run by a variety of Christian denominations, including the Arab Orthodox Benevolent Society. 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 in Beit Jala, which was founded by Lutheran deaconesses in the 19th century.[10] The school has developed an environmental education program and operates the only bird-ringing station in the Palestinian sector. The school also runs a guesthouse.[10] The Beit Jala skyline is dominated by several churches, among them the Church of the Virgin Mary and the Church of Saint Nicholas. According to tradition, St. Nicholas spent four years in the Holy Land. Both of these churches are Orthodox Christian.
In the 2005 municipal election, six seats went to the United Beit Jala list (Fatah and Palestinian People's Party), five 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.[11]
The Beit Jala Lions is a rugby club active in Beit Jala since 2007. Hailed as the first all-Palestinian rugby team in history, the team is made up almost exclusively of residents of Beit Jala.[12]
In 1952, following a Israel Defense Forces reprisal raid in Beit Jala in which seven civilians were killed, a complaint was lodged that Israel had violated the General Armistice agreement. The United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation issued a condemnation of Israel for breaching the agreement.[13]
During the Second Intifada, Tanzim militants used Beit Jala as a base for launching launch sniper and mortar attacks[14] on the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo.[15] Gilo is located on a hilltop across from Beit Jala, partially on the lands of Beit Safafa and Sharafat.[16] The Israeli government built a concrete barrier and installed bulletproof windows in homes and schools facing Beit Jala.[17] The gunmen positioned themselves in or near Christian homes and churches in the knowledge that a slight deviation in Israeli return fire would harm Christian buildings.[18]
One such building was the residence of Albert Abu Zgheibreh, a Palestinian Christian. During the intifada, Abu Zgheibreh was overseas, so Palestinian gunmen, not from Beit Jala, quickly occupied it. This was confirmed, according to an article in The Independent, by Fatah gunman Abu Atef. Abu Atef says "it became a right of passage for the most daring gunmen to take their turn behind the group's belt-fed Browning M2 .50-caliber machine-gun. Several gunmen and residents of Beit Jala were killed in the resulting firefights. 'The first time we came, the neighbours were OK, but after their houses began to be damaged from the Israeli tanks, people became very angry and tried to push us to another area to shoot. They didn't give us any help, not even a drink of water when the guys were thirsty. Even now they don't like us,' Abu Atef admits."[19]
In August 2001, the Israel Defense Forces occupied the northeast corner of Beit Jala, declaring that it would only leave when the gunfire on Gilo stopped.[20] Two days later, the troops withdrew.[21] Instead of ending the firing on Gilo, Palestinian militants stepped up their attacks, adding mortars and heavy machine guns. According to Time Magazine, the Palestinian militants were not locals, but took up positions in Beit Jala due to its proximity to Gilo.[22] In August 2010, after a long period of calm, the concrete barrier built to protect Gilo was removed.[23]
There have been incidents of tension between Christians and Muslims in Beit Jala since the Palestinian Authority took over in 1995. Many Muslim families from Hebron and other parts of the West Bank moved to Beit Jala and illegally seized privately-owned lands. Christian residents who tried to prevent Tanzim gunmen in Beit Jala from firing at the Israeli settlement of Gilo were beaten by the gunmen who were also accused of raping and murdering two sisters. There have been reports by Christian women in Beit Jala of being harassed by Muslim men from the village of Beit Awwa in the Hebron area.[24] Muslim and Christian political leaders say that the violence is mostly the result of "personally motivated" disputes and deny the existence of an organized anti-Christian campaign.[24]>
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