The Israeli recent aggression against the Palestinian Territories under the Palestinian National Authority has created major obstacles that hinder the activities of the Bethlehem 2000 Project, where several programs are facing a state of stagnation and in some cases a complete freeze.

The Israeli Army not only responds with live ammunition to Palestinian citizens practicing their internationally recognized right of peaceful demonstration, but has also escalated its forms of aggression to the systematic shelling of Palestinian populated areas using tanks and military aircraft. Attacks have specifically targeted the cities of Beit Jala and Beit Sahour in the Governorate of Bethlehem. Holy sites have come under Israeli fire, such as the Shepherds Field in Beit Sahour, and the Franciscan Convent in Beit Jala. Some ancient buildings that constitute a part of the Palestinian cultural heritage have been targeted there as well.

In addition to the excessive use of force, Israel has imposed a series of punitive measures, the gravest of which is the closure of Palestinian areas. These closures have had a negative impact on the Palestinian social as well as economic conditions. Bethlehem, like all other Palestinian areas, is suffering from the impact of these Israeli measures. Bethlehem’s tourism-based economy is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars daily, with the drastic decrease in the number of tourists visiting it during the last month. Israeli checkpoints posted on all major entries to the city, especially on the Bethlehem –Jerusalem roads, strongly discourage the few tourists who still wish to visit the city. Consequently, the tourism-related businesses, such as the souvenir shops, the restaurants and the hotels are out of business.

The closures and the dangerous security conditions have not only obstructed the flow of tourists to Bethlehem and to the Palestinian Territories, but have hindered the movement of tens of thousands of Palestinians to and from their places of work. This has drastically slowed down the economic cycle of the Palestinian economy as a whole.

Major infrastructure programs implemented by the Bethlehem 2000 project have suffered from this situation, in terms of the high absence rate among workers at on-going projects, resulting in major delays in the completion of these works according to schedule and an increase in their financial burden. Other private-sector led construction projects in Bethlehem are suffering from similar conditions.

Other tourism related programs designed by the Bethlehem 2000 Project have come to a freeze as a result of this situation. A long list of activities, including conferences and celebrations, were scheduled for the last quarter of the year and towards the beginning of the Christmas season, with the aim of enhancing the attraction of Bethlehem as a tourist destination. Several activities have already been either postponed or even cancelled, while uncertainty overshadows the fate of the rest.

The detrimental impact of the Israeli aggression on the Bethlehem 2000 Project, that is a community development project, is an indication of the difficulties that all development efforts in the Palestinian Territories will continue to face so long as the Israeli occupation remains.

The Bethlehem 2000 Project, while condemning the Israeli practices on one hand, re-affirms its determination to continue its efforts to fulfill its mandate, by working with the Bethlehem community towards achieving sustainable development, through maintaining and continuing its different programs with the continuous support of the International Community.