Shrinking Space : Urban Contraction and Rural Fragmentation of Bethlehem Governorate

Among the key Findings of the report: 

• Only13% of Bethlehem land is available for Palestinian use out of 660 sq. kilometers and much of it is fragmented. 

• The historic, religious, economic and cultural connection between Bethlehem and East Jerusalem has been weakened by Israeli measures, in particular, the Barrier and the closure. 

• 66% of the Bethlehem governorate is designated Area C, where Israel retains security control and jurisdiction over building and planning. 

• The Barrier route in the Bethlehem governorate reaches 10 km into the West Bank. If completed, it will cut off from the urban centre, approximately 64 sq. km. of some of the most fertile cultivated land in the governorate as well as 21,000 Palestinians residing in villages west of the planned route. 

• There are approximately 175,000 Palestinians living in the Bethlehem governorate. Since 1967, some 86,000 Israelis have been settled in the Bethlehem governorate and they live in 19 settlements and 16 settlement outpost. 

As for steps to prevent further deterioration and restore some of the lost space to the governorate, the report indicates that steps can be taken to prevent further deterioration.
These include: 

• Halting construction of the Barrier inside the West Bank,
• Opening closed military areas and nature reserves for sustainable Palestinian development,
• Freezing settlement construction, including related actions like ‘state land’ declarations

For more information please contact:
Allegra Pacheco- 0543311806
Judith Harel - 0543311807 

Download the report