Bethlehem

==Economy==
[[File:Heading to Bethlehem Gloria in Excelsis Deo by ArmAg (1).jpg|left|thumb|High-rise construction in Bethlehem]]
Shopping is a major attraction, especially during the [[Christmas]] season. The city's main streets and old markets are lined with shops selling [[Palestinian handicrafts]], [[Middle East]]ern spices, jewelry and oriental sweets such as [[baklava|baklawa]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bethlehem-city.org/English/City/GeneralInfo/Shopping.php |title=Bethlehem Municipality(Site Under Construction) |access-date=January 22, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226054520/http://www.bethlehem-city.org/English/City/GeneralInfo/Shopping.php |archive-date=February 26, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Olive [[wood carving]]s <ref name="BethTour">{{cite web|url=http://www.travelershub.com/destination_guide/middle_east/bethlehem.html|title=Bethlehem: Shopping|publisher=TouristHub|access-date=July 22, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730055440/http://www.travelershub.com/destination_guide/middle_east/bethlehem.html|archive-date=July 30, 2013}}</ref> are the item most purchased by tourists visiting Bethlehem.<ref name="handicrafts">{{cite web|url=http://www.bethlehem-city.org/English/City/Heritage/HnadCraft.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121193814/http://www.bethlehem-city.org/English/City/Heritage/HnadCraft.php|archive-date=November 21, 2007|title=Handicrafts: Olive-wood carving|publisher=Bethlehem Municipality}}</ref> Religious handicrafts include ornaments handmade from [[Nacre|mother-of-pearl]], as well as olive wood statues, boxes, and crosses.<ref name="BethTour"/> Other industries include stone and marble-cutting, textiles, furniture and furnishings.<ref name="ChamberInfo">{{cite web |url=http://bethlehem.ps/bethinfo.html |title=Bethlehem Information |publisher=Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce & Industry|access-date=November 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322194118/http://www.bethlehem.ps/bethinfo.html |archive-date=March 22, 2012}}</ref> Bethlehem factories also produce paints, plastics, [[synthetic rubber]], pharmaceuticals, construction materials and food products, mainly pasta and confectionery.<ref name="ChamberInfo"/>
[[Cremisan Valley|Cremisan Wine]], founded in 1885, is a winery run by monks in the Monastery of Cremisan. The grapes are grown mainly in the [[al-Khader]] district. In 2007, the monastery's wine production was around 700,000&nbsp;liters per year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bethlehem.ps/shopping/wine.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071117144242/http://www.bethlehem.ps/shopping/wine.php |archive-date=November 17, 2007 |title=Wine |last=Jahsan |first=Ruby |publisher=The Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation |access-date=January 29, 2008}}</ref>

In 2008, Bethlehem hosted the largest [[Palestine Investment Conference|economic conference]] to date in the [[Palestinian territories]]. It was initiated by [[Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority|Palestinian Prime Minister]] and former [[Finance Minister of the Palestinian National Authority|Finance Minister]] [[Salam Fayyad]] to convince more than a thousand businessmen, bankers and government officials from throughout the [[Middle East]] to invest in the West Bank and [[Gaza Strip]]. A total of 1.4&nbsp;billion US dollars was secured for business investments in the Palestinian territories.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7412129.stm Palestinians bidding for business] Maqbool, Aleem. ''[[BBC News]]''. BBC. May 21, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-22. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106161839/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7412129.stm |date=January 6, 2014 }}</ref>[[File:The Jacir Palace, Bethlehem.jpg|thumb|[[Jacir Palace]] hotel in Bethlehem]]Tourism is Bethlehem's main industry.<ref name="O'Connor2013" /><ref name="OCHA" /> Unlike other Palestinian localities prior to 2000, the majority of the employed residents did not have jobs in Israel.<ref name="OCHA" /> More than 20% of the working population is employed in the industry.<ref name="CityEconomy">{{cite web|url=http://www.bethlehem-city.org/en/index-16.php?Mid=NDg= |title=The City Economy |publisher=Bethlehem Municipality|access-date=November 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023031202/http://www.bethlehem-city.org/en/index-16.php?Mid=NDg%3D |archive-date=October 23, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Tourism accounts for approximately 65% of the city's economy and 11% of the [[Palestinian National Authority]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2007/12/2008525184727570657.html |title=Bethlehem's struggles continue |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English]] |date=December 25, 2007 |access-date=November 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129060921/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2007/12/2008525184727570657.html |archive-date=January 29, 2014}}</ref> The city has more than two million visitors every year.<ref name="CityEconomy" /> Tourism in Bethlehem ground to a halt for over a decade after the [[Second Intifada]],<ref name="O'Connor2013" /> but gradually began to pick back up in the early 2010s.<ref name="O'Connor2013" /> [[Schneider Electric]] operates a facility in the Multidisciplinary Industrial Park of Bethlehem, which was developed by the Palestinian government.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Watch |first=Corporate |date=2013-10-09 |title=Why Bethlehem industrial zone is struggling to find investors |url=https://corporatewatch.org/why-bethlehem-industrial-zone-is-struggling-to-find-investors/ |access-date=2024-03-13 |website=Corporate Watch |language=en-GB}}</ref>
The [[Church of the Nativity]] is one of Bethlehem's major [[tourist attraction]]s and a magnet for Christian pilgrims. It stands in the center of the city — a part of the [[Manger Square]] — over a grotto or cave called the Holy Crypt, where Jesus is believed to have been born. Nearby is the Milk Grotto where the Holy Family took refuge on their Flight to Egypt and next door is the cave where [[Jerome|St. Jerome]] spent thirty years creating the [[Vulgate]], the dominant Latin version of the Bible until the Reformation.<ref name="BMH" />

There are over thirty hotels in Bethlehem.<ref name="Patience">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7146980.stm|title=Better times return to Bethlehem|last=Patience|first=Martin|date=December 22, 2007|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=January 22, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106191329/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7146980.stm|archive-date=January 6, 2014|publisher=BBC}}</ref> [[Jacir Palace]], built in 1910 near the church, is one of Bethlehem's most successful hotels and its oldest. It was closed down in 2000 due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but reopened in 2005 as the Jacir Palace InterContinental at Bethlehem.<ref>[http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news05/129-JacirPalace.shtml Jacir Palace, InterContinental Bethlehem re-opens for business] InterContinental Hotels Group {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203051039/http://www.asiatraveltips.com/news05/129-JacirPalace.shtml |date=December 3, 2013 }}</ref> The hotel is managed by world renowned international brand — the [[Intercontinental Hotel Group]] (IHG) and is first IHG hotel in the country.