Il-belt antika ta’ Betlem tinsab inqas minn għaxar kilometri lejn in-Nofsinhar ta’ Ġerusalemm.
Il-ftit evidenza testwali u arkeoloġika li teżisti tikkonferma li, fiż-żmien meta twieled Ġesu, kien villaġġ ċkejken u umli.
Iżda l-istorja ta’ dan ir-raħal inbidlet radikalment ftit aktar minn elfejn sena ilu. It-twelid tal-fundatur ta’ dik li kellha ssir waħda mill-akbar reliġjonijiet wassal biex isem dan ir-raħal isir magħruf ma’ kull ġens.
Mill-inqas sa mit-tieni seklu tal-Era Kristjana l-Insara emmnu li wieħed mill-għerien li hemm taħt il-knisja ta’ warajna, il-Knisja tan-Natività, hawnhekk f’Betlem, huwa proprju l-post fejn twieled Ġesu.
Rapporti storiċi jgħidulna li l-ewwel pellegrini Nsara bdew iżuru Betlem madwar mitt sena wara li kien twieled Ġesu.
Minn dak iż-żmien sal-lum, minkejja l-bosta kunflitti, kultant imdemmija, f’din il-parti tad-dinja, il-pellegrini u t-turisti baqgħu dejjem ġejjin. Mgħottija b’filmati tal-Knisja tan-Natività minn ġewwa, tal-istilla li timmarka fejn twieled Ġesù, u tal-post fejn kienet il-maxtura.
Illum Betlem tagħmel parti mit-territorji Palestinjani tax-Xatt tal-Punent u żgur li, li kieku kellhom iżuruh llum, Marija u Ġużeppi ma jagħrfuhx.
Jekk xejn, żgur li llum isibu fejn joqogħdu, tant kemm hemm lukandi u postijiet oħra ta’ akkomodazzjoni turistika, kif ukoll servizzi eċċellenti għall-viżitaturi f’raħal predominentement Musulman fejn nies ta’ twemmin differenti jistgħu jgħixu flimkien f’armonija.
Dwar l-aspett turistiku ta’ Betlem, u kif dan is-settur qed jirkupra wara l-pandemija, tkellmet ma’ ONE News il-Ministru għat-Turiżmu Palestinjana, Rula Maayah waqt waħda mill-attivitajiet li jiġu organizzati kull sena għall-Milied.
“This year we’re celebrating Christmas with tourists and pilgrims from all over the world. Of course, it’s not like before the pandemic, but the numbers are increasing on a daily basis. This year we received around 700,000 tourists coming from all over the world. Tourists coming to Palestine, and especially here, to Bethlehem, mean a lot for the tourism sector and for the people living in Bethlehem because most of the people who live in Bethlehem, they work in the tourism sector. They either benefit diretly or indirectly from tourists coming to Palestine.”
Anki l-Konslu Onorarju ta’ Malta f’Betlem, Elias Alarja, li huwa wkoll il-proprjetarju tal-Bethlehem Hotel, għandu ton ottimist.
“Here, where Jesus was born, where it started, it’s here in Bethlehem, and we have all the hotels, more than 90 percent occupancy this week of Christmas. We’re hoping to see more tourism next year. The reservations are what we expected, it’s becoming good and good and, more than good, maybe excellent.”
Il-Konslu ta’ Malta f’Betlem huwa kburi wkoll bil-parteċipazzjoni ta’ Malta u tal-Maltin fil-festi li jsiru hawnhekk kull sena għall-Milied.
“Every year, we participate, Malta – I’m here, also helping with that – to bring some singer to sing during the lighting of the (Christmas) tree, in the first Saturday of every December of every year. This year we welcomed Maria Cini. She’s very, very good. Everybody enjoyed her singing. We cooperate with the embassy here and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Malta to bring them. We hope to continue doing that.”
