PHOTOGRAPHY | PALESTINE

The Road to Bethlehem

Bethlehem became inaccessible. Christians wishing to reach it from Ramallah were condemned to Wadi an-Nar, or Hellfire Valley, a narrow, dangerous, and accident-prone route that circumvented Jerusalem down the eastern slopes, halfway to the Dead Sea

My Journeys in Palestine: photo essays narrated using quotes from Fugitive Dreams

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Jerusalem from the Monastery of St. Theodosius, east of Bethlehem (Photo by the author, 2017)

In anticipation of Christmas, I am releasing a series of photo essays about Bethlehem. Enjoy this first installment.

Church of the Nativity and Manger square, Bethlehem, Palestine (Photo by the author, 2019)

With (a Jerusalem permit)

“Soon, we found out that Israel bans men younger than 45 years of age from entering Jerusalem before 2 PM on Fridays, the Muslim day of prayer. The soldiers at the second checkpoint refused us entry, but allowed Charlene in. Never mind that my ID said “Christian,” that our final destination was Bethlehem, or that my permit was issued for reason of “Christian religious holiday.” The…