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Quarterly Newsletter Inside this edition:
The past year has been beleaguered by the heavy weight of the Israeli occupation and the destructive consequences it had on our economy, our infrastructures, our institutions and our life as a community. We had ninety-seven days of total curfew during which life in Bethlehem came to a standstill. Id al-Adha, Easter, Id al-Fitr and Christmas were not marked by any celebrations and our children missed on their schooling and on all the fun things that children normally do. The statistical data of the various damages incurred since the beginning of the Intifada in September 2000 reflect the deterioration in our social, economic and cultural life. Since the outset we have been involved in the assessment of the damages to infrastrucutre, urban centres and historical sites and buildings and the disruption in trade and public services; we have also been following up on damages to the tourism and labour sectors and have tailored our projects, inasmuch as it is possible, to our new needs. During this past year, the implementation of our rehabilitation projects has been constantly challenged. We hope that our new project in Anatra Quarter, an extension of Milk Grotto Street and close to the Nativity Church, will further the preservation of cultural heritage in Bethlehem and contribute to the job generation efforts in the District. This project will also occasion a research on the historic, architectural and social fabric of this quarter, which can be achieved irrespective of the continued closures and the difficult situation. We also hope to be able to continue with our Awareness Campaign with School Children, which was initially funded (Phase I) by Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ). This campaign aims at creating awareness of cultural, historical and natural resources and facilitating children’s understanding of the importance of these resources in building their cultural identity. This campaign will be complemented by a new project in the schools, ‘Heritage through creative expression’ which consists of a programme of artistic activities and which we will elaborate in our next edition. Beit Jala Old Core Project: This project was completed in spite of the many obstacles that came in the way of its implementation. In terms of the objectives it was designed to fulfil, it was a major success. It has improved the physical conditions of the old city and the quality of life of 180 families living on the project site. It has also encouraged 20 private restoration projects, among which were abandoned homes and shops, thus starting the process of recuperating the old core by its original inhabitants, the gauge of success of any urban rehabilitation plan. At a time of economic hardship it has contributed substantially to job creation efforts and the activation of the building sector.
Al-Khader Stadium
Public Awareness and Community Development Awareness Campaign for Schools of the Bethlehem District The first phase of our awareness campaign with sixth grade school children in the Bethlehem District was implemented between October 19 and November 6, 2002 with great success. We would like to remind our readers that this campaign aims at heightening awareness of our historic and cultural heritage, developing a more tourism friendly culture and acquainting our children with various aspects of the tourism industry. One of the important aspects of the campaign is the opportunity it gave children to spend a day experiencing cultural tourism and the contribution it has made to our job generation efforts for the tourism sector.
Policy Reform The Policy Reform project is a major undertaking that will address issues such as legislation and institutional structures on a national scale in order to provide a better management, protection and enhancement of cultural and natural heritage resources. Funded by the World Bank and implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities, it consists of three packages: Legal and Institutional Reform, Capacity Building and Program Development. A Task Force headed by the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities and Coordinator General of the Bethlehem 2000 Project has been formed in order to follow on the implementation of the Project. The Legal and Institutional Reform package has been awarded to the Institute of Law at Birzeit University and the final draft of the law for the protection of Palestinian Cultural and Natural Heritage is expected to be ready by the end of 2003. Progress has also been made in the implementation of the Program Development package, namelthrough the research and documentation of the Palestinian experience and practice in the management of cultural and natural resources. Workshop: Definition of Boundaries and Concepts for the Conservation Master Plan A three-day workshop took place at our Centre on October 14-16 related to the Conservation Master Plan of the Bethlehem District project. The UNESCO consultants, who worked together with our staff on the preparation of the Action Plan of the project, attended the workshop with the participation of city engineers and the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee. The workshop included a briefing on the preparation work, background, objectives and schedule of the Conservation Master Plan project; a discussion of examples of other experiences in local and international conservation master planning; and an extensive discussion of the Action Plan and the definition of the boundaries of the three old cores of Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and Beit Sahour. Implementation of this project is pending on funding, which has been pledged by the Government of Italy through the World Bank. In coordination with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, our Centre is currently preparing for Palestinian participation at FITUR, one of the major international tourism fairs, which will take place in Madrid, Spain, on 29 January-2 February 2003. More of our activities:
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