City Of Bethlehem, West Bank Royalty-Free Stock Photography

Bethlehem, initially named after Canaanite fertility god Laḫmu is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about 10 km 6.2 miles south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000, and 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. The important holy site of Rachel`s Tomb is at the northern entrance of Bethlehem, though not freely accessible to the city`s own inhabitants and in general Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank due to the Israeli West Bank barrier.Bethlehem December 6, 2007