Despair in Bethlehem, but a Jordan Christian Site Sees New Investment

West of the Jordan river, the ancient Christian community of Bethlehem is facing economic ruin. Yet just a few miles east, on the east side of the Jordan River, the Muslim-majority Kingdom of Jordan is pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into developing and preserving one of the most sacred sites in the Christian faith.

Why? The Jordanian government wants tourism dollars going to Jordan rather than Bethlehem!

The Agony of Bethlehem: Mike Canawati, whose family has lived in the Holy Land for centuries, owns a tourism business in Bethlehem.

He wrote a heartbreaking plea to the world about the conditions for Christians in Bethlehem. He tells us that with Christian pilgrim tourism completely halted and borders closed, the economy of the city where Christ was born has flatlined. Christian income is near zero.

“Bethlehem without tourism equals zero income for thousands of families,” Canawati wrote. Describing how shopkeepers, artisans, hotel staff, and drivers have been pushed to the edge of insolvency, he announced that his home and business are now up for sale.

Facing unrelenting pressure from banks and seeing no future for his children, Canawati joined the growing ranks of local Christians contemplating permanent emigration:

“Every person who leaves takes with them a home, a family, a business, a profession, memories, and an entire lifetime of stories. Save Bethlehem’s economy before everything in it becomes for sale.”

Canawati’s plea is the plea for help of all of Bethlehem’s Christians. Our programs are helping some Christian families … With more funding we could help more families.

The Kingdom of Jordan Invests in Christian Tourism:  The Qasr al-Yahud baptismal site is used by Christians living on the west side of the Jordan. This area is controlled by Israel but officially part of the Palestinian territories.

Directly across the Jordan river from Qasr al-Yahud the Jordanian government committed $120 million in new project agreements to expand the UNESCO-listed Baptism Site of Jesus! (Al-Maghtas, or Bethany Beyond the Jordan).

Oddly, Jordan’s Muslim Prime Minister, Jafar Hassan, is heading a committee preparing the baptismal site for the 2,000-year millennium celebration of Christ’s baptism.

Jordan’s plan includes building biblical-style pilgrim village ($40 million), a dedicated 5,500-square-meter Baptism Site Museum ($50 million), robust surrounding infrastructure ($27 million), and a scenic green conservation corridor ($3 million).

The Unfolding Divide: The difference between the two banks of the Jordan River highlights the tragedy unfolding in Bethlehem. Families who have safeguarded the birthplace of Christianity for centuries are being starved out and driven into exile.

As Christians in Bethlehem are driven out, a secular-leaning Muslim monarchy is building state-of-the-art infrastructure to welcome millions of future Christian pilgrims. It is not right that the Kingdom of Jordan will be making money off Christian pilgrims celebrating the 2,000th anniversary of the Baptism of Jesus because they cannot access the site on the West Bank.