In the first half of 2025, more than 240 individuals in the West Bank’s Bethlehem Governorate received assistance for medical care, jobs or education under a program sponsored by CNEWA-Pontifical Mission’s office for Palestine and Israel, based in Jerusalem.
CNEWA-Pontifical Mission initiated the Bethlehem Emergency Project and coordinated some $278,000 from North American and European funders, including Kinderhilfe Bethlehem; Embrace the Middle East; the Catholic Diocese of Stockholm; Vastenactie; and the Swiss Holy Land Foundation.
CNEWA-Pontifical Mission launched the project as a response “to the severe economic and humanitarian crisis that emerged in the West Bank following the October 2023 war in Gaza. Since the start of the war, there was widespread movement restrictions and the threat of settler violence, which cut off Palestinians from their workplaces, leading to a significant economic downturn,” noted a recent project report.
“Bethlehem, heavily reliant on tourism and trade, was particularly affected, with businesses closing, workers laid off, and thousands of day laborers losing their incomes.”
Citing the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce and Industry, ONE Magazine reported last December that tourism constituted 23-25 percent of the local economy before the war.
This past June, Joseph Hazboun, regional director of CNEWA-Pontifical Mission in Jerusalem, reported unemployment had risen to 31 percent and Bethlehem was losing approximately $2.5 million daily in tourism revenue.
CNEWA-Pontifical Mission partnered with the municipalities of Beit Sahour and Beit Jala to offer temporary jobs to 60 people, providing “a vital lifeline and income for their families during a period of immense hardship,” noted the authors of the report. Jobs included upgrading the municipalities’ digital presence, such as websites, social media and online archives; improving public hygiene with a campaign to clean up solid waste and remove rubbish; and restoration projects for cultural heritage.
Other grant funds helped with medical assistance for people who, due to the recent conflict in Gaza, had limited or no income to cover basic living expenses, let alone essential medical care. The Arab Orthodox Benevolent Society, a long-time CNEWA partner, vetted the more than 70 people who received assistance.
The grant also assisted with education for the 2024-2025 academic year, providing scholarships that settled overdue tuition fees for 45 Christian students at Bethlehem University and Dar al-Kalima University and fees for 65 Christian students at six lower-level schools.
“I would have had to drop out [of school] if it were not for this scholarship,” said one Bethlehem University student quoted in the final report.
“My father is unemployed due to the West Bank closure for the past two years.
“This scholarship has changed my life and helped my family survive.”
Watch a video report about the Bethlehem Emergency Project.