Oct 26 2000
Inside Beit Jala
Beit Jala is a special town for me. I went to the Hope School at the top of the hill there, and a number of my relatives and in-laws still live in this predominantly Christian town, west of Bethlehem.
Many of the original citizens of Beit Jala have emigrated to Chile and other Latin American countries and the town is relatively quiet. A settlement, Har Gilo, was built on the top of the Beit Jala mountain, near the Everest restaurant and hotel.
A large section of the townspeople’s land was confiscated during the years of occupation, to make room for the Gilo settlement and the two tunnels that connect the Hebron road with Jerusalem, bypassing Bethlehem and the Daheisheh refugee camp. Continue Reading »