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Bethlehem | Wikipedia audio article

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Bethlehem

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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates



SUMMARY
=======
Bethlehem (; Arabic: بيت لحم‎ Bayt Lahm Arabic pronunciation: [beːt.laħm], House of Meat; Hebrew: בֵּית לֶחֶם‬ Bet Lehem, Hebrew pronunciation: [bet ˈleχem], House of Bread; Ancient Greek: Βηθλεέμ Greek pronunciation: [bɛːtʰle.ém]; Latin: Bethleem; initially named after Canaanite fertility god Lehem) is a Palestinian city located in the central West Bank, Palestine, about 10 km (6.2 miles) south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. The economy is primarily tourist-driven.The earliest known mention of the city was in the Amarna correspondence of 1350–1330 BCE during its habitation by the Canaanites. The Hebrew Bible, which says that the city of Bethlehem was built up as a fortified city by Rehoboam, identifies it as the city David was from and where he was crowned as the king of Israel. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke identify Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. Bethlehem was destroyed by the Emperor Hadrian during the second-century Bar Kokhba revolt; its rebuilding was promoted by Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, who commissioned the building of its great Church of the Nativity in 327 CE. The church was badly damaged by the Samaritans, who sacked it during a revolt in 529, but was rebuilt a century later by Emperor Justinian I.
Bethlehem became part of Jund Filastin following the Muslim conquest in 637. Muslim rule continued in Bethlehem until its conquest in 1099 by a crusading army, who replaced the town's Greek Orthodox clergy with a Latin one. In the mid-13th century, the Mamluks demolished the city's walls, which were subsequently rebuilt under the Ottomans in the early 16th century. Control of Bethlehem passed from the Ottomans to the British at the end of World War I. Bethlehem came under Jordanian rule during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and was later captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Since the 1995 Oslo Accords, Bethlehem has been administered by the Palestinian Authority.Bethlehem now has a Muslim majority, but is still home to a significant Palestinian Christian community. Bethlehem's chief economic sector is tourism, which peaks during the Christmas season when Christians make pilgrimage to the Church of the Nativity, as they have done for almost 2,000 years. Bethlehem has over 30 hotels and 300 handicraft workshops. Rachel's Tomb, an important Jewish holy site, is located at the northern entrance of Bethlehem.

The truth about Christians in Bethlehem

Bron: The Elder of Zyon


Facts overlaid in top of a propaganda video made by the Palestinian Authority for Christmas 2012. They don't want you to know that Christians are fleeing Palestinian-ruled areas because of harassment and discrimination.

Palestinian president says region in danger of war over shrines

(6 Mar 2010) SHOTLIST
Issawiya neighbourhood, Jerusalem
1. Line of Israeli soldiers standing across street, Palestinian youths in distance
2. Wide of Palestinian youths throwing stones
3. Mid of Israeli soldiers
++DUSK SHOTS++
4. Palestinians throwing stones
5. Israeli soldiers running towards Palestinians
6. Roadblock with debris on fire, Palestinians throwing stones
7. Soldiers running towards protesters, firing stun grenades
Ramallah, West Bank
8. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arriving at news conference
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President:
The Israeli decision to include the Ibrahimi Mosque (known to Jews as Cave of Patriarchs) in Hebron and the Bilal Ibn Rabah Mosque (known to Jews as Rachel''s Tomb) in Bethlehem and the Walls of Old Jerusalem to what Israelis calling the Jewish Heritage List, all that forewarns of grave consequences. It threatens to undermine all international, Arab and Palestinian efforts that aim to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
10. Cutaway of cameramen
11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President:
We are holding meetings of the Palestinian leadership today and tomorrow, where we will crystallise a clear and realistic objective and position for the future and for the peace process. The decisions reached today and tomorrow will be relayed to the concerned Arab and the international parties involved.
12. Wide of Abbas leaving news conference
STORYLINE
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that a recent Israeli decision to include two West Bank shrines on a list of national heritage sites could have grave consequences that threaten to undermine peace efforts in the region.
Israeli announced it was adding the Ibrahimi Mosque (known to Jews as Cave of Patriarchs) in Hebron and the Bilal Ibn Rabah Mosque (known to Jews as Rachel''s Tomb) in Bethlehem on a list of national heritage sites, sparking anger and protests among Palestinians and Arab Israelis.
The move''s practical ramifications are unclear, but Palestinians see it as a provocation.
Palestinians perceive the move as another sign that Israel wants to hang on to large parts of the West Bank, one of the territories Palestinians want for their future state.
Israel captured the sites along with the rest of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, in the 1967 Mideast war.
Late on Saturday, Israeli soldiers used stun guns to disperse a group of stone-throwing Palestinian youths in Jerusalem''s Issawiya neighbourhood.
The skirmish was the latest in a number of protests by Palestinians, reflecting rising anger over Israel''s decision.
During Saturday''s news conference in Ramallah, Abbas also spoke about the plans to enter four months of indirect, US-brokered peace talks with Israel.
The talks, likely to begin later this month, would break a 15-month freeze in peace negotiations and hand the administration of US President Barack Obama a first diplomatic achievement in the Israeli-Palestinian arena.
However, another round of fruitless negotiations, following years of stymied peace efforts, could also prove perilous for both Israelis and Palestinians.
In the current circumstances, the chances for a breakthrough are dim.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds more hardline views than his predecessor, Ehud Olmert, with whom Abbas failed to reach an agreement in 2008.


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Where Jesus Walked

#jesuschrist #inspirational

Own the collectible DVD -

Jesus never traveled more than 100 from His birthplace during His three-year ministry, yet, His life has changed the world. Beautifully filmed and dramatically reenacted, this video pilgrimage leads you from Christ’s birth to His resurrection. Experience your own personal journey with Christ as you walk through the Holy Land’s sites as they are today. See the actual places where Jesus ministered over 2,000 years ago. Witness firsthand the paths of Jesus’ travels, from Bethlehem to Nazareth, Jerusalem to the Sea of Galilee, from Capernaum to Jericho; His baptism at the Jordan River; His sermon on the Mount; and His final walk down the Via Dolorosa to Calvary where He was crucified. This visual account of Jesus’ life takes on a deeper spiritual meaning for those who see the sacred places and experience His teachings, miracles, passion, death, resurrection and ascension. This video portrait stands as a witness to the divinity of Jesus Christ and His bountiful love for all mankind.

Activists Stage Palestinian Alternative 'Globalvision'

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#i24NEWS #TrendingwithSarahWilliamson #Eurovision

TRENDING | Activists staged an alternative to Eurovision called Globalvision, hoping to bring attention to the Palestinian cause and encourage viewers to maybe boycott the event. Organizer Jo Tyabji discusses with host Sarah Williamson. 

Story:

As the world tunes into the final spectacle of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 on Saturday, the Palestinians are planning to broadcast the alternative ‘Globalvision’ which they hope will detract attention from the Tel Aviv-based event and instead publicize their cause.

The Globalvision online broadcast, presented as a “night of inclusion and diversity,” will go live to performances in London, Dublin, Haifa, Ramallah and Bethlehem.

Under the motto of “Dare to the Dream Together” -- a spin-off of this year's Eurovision slogan, also used by left-wing NGO ‘Breaking the Silence’ to promote tours to the West Bank -- prominent Palestinian musicians will showcase their talents alongside others global artists, including influential British musician Brian Eno.

According to the website, the counter-competition is for viewers “supporting the core principles of the right of all refugees to return, and human rights and dignity for all.”

“This year Eurovision is being used to make us look away,” the promotion video says, urging viewers: “Don’t watch Eurovision, watch Globalvision.”

Considered as a non-event by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), no European TV stations are expected to feature the Palestinian show.

Rather than simply opposing the Israeli event, pro-Palestinian campaigners said they wanted to host a positive show that supports and promotes artists from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

This comes amid a slew of boycott attempts by anti-Israel critics, including a calculated social media battle by the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement which repeatedly labels the country an “apartheid” state alongside mounting calls from world-renowned artists such as former Pink Floyd man Roger Waters.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority have said Israel is using the song competition to “normalize the global acceptance of its unlawful conduct.

Israel, in response, has embarked on a counter campaign of misdirection to combat the condemnation.

A Little Christian Fellowship in O Little Town of Bethlehem

Late on my first night in Palestine, after dinner with my guides, I came back to my hotel and met a dozen Lutheran pastors in the lobby. They were heading into a 2,000-year-old cave, upon which the hotel was built, for a devotion service and invited me along. I was really tired but followed my current travel ethic: If an opportunity presents itself, say “Yes.”

The pastors were just finishing a multi-year Pastoral Leadership Institute program. Their theme (as taught by English church leader Mike Breen): up, in, and out (“up” is relationship with God, “in” is relationship with community, “out” is outreach beyond their immediate community). I climbed down into the cave with them and enjoyed a wonderful hour of singing, reading, and sharing.

While our image of “no room at the inn” is brick and wood, the “inn” of Bible fame was very likely a series of caves. And “no room” meant a woman about to give birth would not be welcome in the main quarters, as it was an unclean thing. Mary was sent to the manger cave where the animals hung out to give birth to Jesus.

The next day I told my guide about the wonderful evening. He said, “Yes, but if you hear it as much as me, it is annoying.” Nearly all the tourism in Palestine is religious tourism. While I would have enjoyed covering more of the Christian dimension to travel in the Holy Land, my main interest was in introducing Christians to the Muslim and Jewish heritage of the region.

More information about “The Holy Land: Israelis and Palestinians Today”:

Bethlehem | Wikipedia audio article

This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:



00:03:02 1 History
00:03:11 1.1 Canaanite period
00:05:18 1.2 Israelite and Judean period
00:07:09 1.3 Classical period
00:10:27 1.4 Middle Ages
00:14:07 1.5 Ottoman era
00:16:50 1.6 Modern era
00:19:42 2 Geography
00:21:42 3 Climate
00:23:03 4 Demographics
00:23:12 4.1 Population
00:26:18 4.2 Christian population
00:29:34 5 Economy
00:31:16 5.1 Tourism
00:32:54 6 Religious significance and commemoration
00:33:06 6.1 Birthplace of Jesus
00:35:24 6.2 Christmas celebrations
00:36:08 6.3 Other religious festivals
00:36:54 7 Culture
00:37:04 7.1 Embroidery
00:38:23 7.2 Mother-of-pearl carving
00:38:56 7.3 Cultural centers and museums
00:40:36 8 Local government
00:42:10 8.1 Mayors
00:42:28 9 Education
00:43:53 10 Transportation
00:45:28 11 Twin towns and sister cities
00:45:41 12 See also



Listening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. Written language only began at around 3200 BC, but spoken language has existed long ago.

Learning by listening is a great way to:
- increases imagination and understanding
- improves your listening skills
- improves your own spoken accent
- learn while on the move
- reduce eye strain

Now learn the vast amount of general knowledge available on Wikipedia through audio (audio article). You could even learn subconsciously by playing the audio while you are sleeping! If you are planning to listen a lot, you could try using a bone conduction headphone, or a standard speaker instead of an earphone.

Listen on Google Assistant through Extra Audio:

Other Wikipedia audio articles at:

Upload your own Wikipedia articles through:

Speaking Rate: 0.9549287968970199
Voice name: en-GB-Wavenet-C


I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
- Socrates


SUMMARY
=======
Bethlehem (; Arabic: بيت لحم‎ Bayta Laḥm, House of Meat; Hebrew: בֵּית לֶחֶם Bet Leḥem, Hebrew pronunciation: [bet ˈleχem], House of Bread; Ancient Greek: Βηθλεέμ Greek pronunciation: [bɛːtʰle.ém]; Latin: Bethleem; initially named after Canaanite fertility god Lehem) is a city located in the central West Bank, Palestine, about 10 km (6.2 miles) south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. The economy is primarily tourist-driven, peaking during the Christmas season, when Christians make pilgrimage to the Church of the Nativity. Rachel's Tomb, an important Jewish holy site, is located at the northern entrance of Bethlehem.
The earliest known mention of the city was in the Amarna correspondence of 1350–1330 BCE during its habitation by the Canaanites. The Hebrew Bible, which says that the city of Bethlehem was built up as a fortified city by Rehoboam, identifies it as the city David was from and where he was crowned as the king of Israel. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke identify Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. Bethlehem was destroyed by the Emperor Hadrian during the second-century Bar Kokhba revolt; its rebuilding was promoted by Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, who commissioned the building of its great Church of the Nativity in 327 CE. The church was badly damaged by the Samaritans, who sacked it during a revolt in 529, but was rebuilt a century later by Emperor Justinian I.
Bethlehem became part of Jund Filastin following the Muslim conquest in 637. Muslim rule continued in Bethlehem until its conquest in 1099 by a crusading army, who replaced the town's Greek Orthodox clergy with a Latin one. In the mid-13th century, the Mamluks demolished the city's walls, which were subsequently rebuilt under the Ottomans in the early 16th century. Control of Bethlehem passed from the Ottomans to the British at the end of World War I. Bethlehem came under Jordanian rule during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and was later captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Since the 1995 Oslo Accords, Bethlehem has been administered by the Palestinian Authority.Following an influx of refugees as a result of Israeli advances in the 1967 war, Bethlehem has a Muslim majority, but is still home to a significant Palestinian Christian community. It is now encircled and encroached upon by dozens of Israeli settlements and the Israeli West Bank barrier, which separates both Muslim and Christian communities from their land and livelihoods, and sees a steady exodus of those from both communities being driven out.

Jesus birthplace struggles through Christmas

As Christians around the world gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the people who live in his birthplace are struggling. Bethlehem is located in the occupied territories and business owners say they are suffering from Israeli security measures that discourage visitors. But that has not stopped efforts to improve the area. Al Jazeera's Nick Spicer reports from Bethlehem.

Bustan Qaraaqa: Permaculture in Palestine

It's here, in the midst of the dry fields and hills of Beit Sahour, that you find the Bustan Qaraaqa farm. This is an ecological project aims to produce sustainability using a minimum of water A revolutionary idea in an area which suffers for a lack of this natural resource.

Tensions running high as access to Jerusalem's Old City restricted

Security has been tightened in Jerusalem as Israeli troops moved further into the Gaza Strip as part of their ground operation in the enclave .

Access to the Old City and the al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem has been heavily restricted.

Anger and tension have been running high in the city with several arrests made by Israeli security forces.

The Israeli people don't treat us well. They invent reasons based on no truth to force us out of the city. It's a way of turning us into slaves and mak...
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WRAP Israeli troops kill at least 2 militants, rocket attack ADDS hospital

Gaza - Israel border
1. Israeli tanks driving on border
2. Israeli soldier on tank, zoom out to tank driving on border
3. Various Israeli soldiers standing near tanks
4. Tank driving away
Mghazi refugee camp, Gaza Strip
5. Militant walking in street, carrying rocket launcher
6. Militant with rockets in backpack looking around corner of building
7. Various of militants walking and carrying rocket launchers
8. Various of militants in streets, holding guns
Mghazi refugee camp, Gaza Strip
9. Various long shots of Israeli bulldozer
10. Various of militants in street
11. Ambulance arriving at hospital
12. Wounded man being led into hospital
13. Wounded Reuters soundman on gurney being brought to hospital
Sderot, Southern Israel
14. Rocket on ground, Israeli policeman loading it onto police vehicle
15. Shocked man being treated in street
16. Girl looking at shocked man
17. Various of school children in street
18. Distraught woman being taken to ambulance
19. Ambulance driving away
STORYLINE:
Israeli troops killed three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including at least two militants, Palestinian
officials said, a day after rejecting an unofficial truce offer from the besieged Hamas rulers of the coastal territory.
A military force operating in central Gaza shot two approaching gunmen on Thursday morning, the army said, and later shot two more militants.
Two armed groups, the Popular Resistance Committees and Islamic Jihad, each announced that one of its men had been killed.
Hospital officials said a third person was killed in the violence. His identity was not immediately clear.
Reuters soundman Nihad Odehtallah was shot in the leg while covering the clashes in Mghazi refugee camp, and was taken to an Israeli hospital.
His wounds were not life-threatening, and it was not clear whether Odehtallah was wounded by Israeli or Palestinian fire, the London-based news agency said.
Reporters on the scene said they came under fire as they tried to photograph casualties.
The Israeli military said their infantry and armoured troops were in the area conducting a routine operation against militants who fire rockets and mortar rounds at southern Israel, and try to mount attacks against troops.
Palestinian gunmen in Mghazi refugee camp launched mortars at troops and fired at Israeli aircraft with machine guns as Israeli snipers took up positions on the roofs of homes in the area, witnesses said.
Palestinian militants launched a rocket from northern Gaza into Israel on Thursday morning, landing several dozen yards (metres) from a school in the frequently targeted town of Sderot, a police spokesman said.
There were no casualties, but several pupils were treated for shock.
Hamas seized control of Gaza last June after defeating the forces of the rival Fatah movement, loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas.
Israel has since launched peace talks with the moderate president, who rules from the West Bank, while stepping up pressure on Hamas.


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Louren Waffle Restaurant & Cafe by bethlehem university students

Louren Waffle Restaurant & Cafe by bethlehem university students