Light for L’Arche – Bethlehem
Bethlehem - the situation
The streets of Bethlehem are empty these days.
There are no tourists. Almost no employment. The L’Arche Community had a boutique hotel, but it has had to close as no one is coming to Bethlehem these days.
Bethlehem is surrounded by a 26 foot high cement wall with only three checkpoints (where people can sometimes enter or leave), which are frequently closed.
Soldiers fire tear gas in Nativity square and raid somewhere most nights (often in one of the three refugee camps in Bethlehem).
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This community needs $410,00 Canadian to operate for a year. That’s $7,885 for a week, or $1,123 for a day. To support more than 50 people and their families as well as provide benefits to the broader community. Can you help?
Pictures from Bethlehem
About life in Bethlehem from people living there (Oct 2025)
- “Living in Bethlehem is of course very hard emotionally and financially.”
- “There is no government assistance; if you don’t work (during corona and the war nobody gets any unemployment benefits) or when a person is retired, there is nothing for you. You depend on your friends, family and neighbours.”
- “Sadly, night incursions are quite common. The soldiers often target the city and the refugee camps, especially Aida and Dheisheh, but also reach other areas around Bethlehem. The sounds of military jeeps have become part of daily life here, and it affects everyone especially the children.”
- “The cost of living and wages are way out of alignment. The average wage is 2000 shekels [about 850$ CAD) a month but prices are high for food etc so it is very hard to live.”
- “Every night soldiers come into Bethlehem [often to raid the refugee camps] and during the war sometimes there are soldiers firing tear gas in the square of the Nativity. People are very frightened.”
- “Bethlehem today faces serious difficulties stemming from the ongoing occupation and conflict conditions. Unemployment has risen dramatically, exacerbated by the cancellation of thousands of Palestinian work permits in east Jerusalem and Israel. This has caused financial hardship for many [if not most] families.”
- “The local economy is severely impacted by the loss of tourism revenue. Bethlehem loses approximately $2.5 million daily, which has led to shop and restaurant closures and threatens cultural heritage sites.”
- “Movement restrictions are a major challenge. The Bethlehem Governorate is fragmented by around 76 Israeli military obstacles such as checkpoints and roadblocks, which limit access to jobs, schools, and medical care. Recently, new military gates have been installed, and there are plans to further isolate Bethlehem through annexation projects, which include home demolitions, land confiscations, and attempts to reshape the area’s demographics through administrative changes. These policies threaten the territorial continuity of Bethlehem and the preservation of Palestinian identity.”