I’ve been talking to people about my trip to Israel and have heard the same question, over and over:
- Isn’t Bethlehem In the West Bank? Wasn’t that risky?
- You went into the West Bank? Is that safe?
The very question betrays a certain bias and I want to make clear that Bethlehem is indeed very safe for tourists. The worst you have to fear is aggressive touts.
But don’t let that stop you from visiting.
You will notice the Wall of Separation in Bethlehem. You will notice some desperate poverty. But people are generally kind. They are just trying to make a living. They are just trying to survive, like you and me, in a land-locked area with freedom of movement severely restricted.
And I say that because during a prior trip to Israel (not this one), one of our hosts at a guesthouse in Safed incredulously looked at us when we said we went to the West Bank and said, “You guys are crazy. You were really risking your lives.”
Well, no…actually Bethlehem is very safe because it knows tourism is its lifeblood. The last thing Bethlehem needs is a bad reputation. The streets are safe. It is a beautiful place.
CONCLUSION
There’s a lot of misconception about the whole West Bank. It’s generally a safe place. I’ve been to Ramallah too. Don’t let fear keep you from visiting. I felt very safe walking the streets with my three-year-old and wife.
I am glad that you had a good experience. I did not have a good experience. A very dishonest Arab taxi driver attempted to extort us and drove us away from the tourist areas. We felt very unsafe because the area was surrounded by Arab men staring at us and did not feel like anyone would help us. Next time we will take the bus.
When I visited Bethlehem, a very kind man standing outside the Nativity church told me: “Don’t take a taxi, they agree a price with you, then they charge you double!” This lead to me walking 40 minutes from the Church to Banksy’s hotel but still, completely worth it to avoid the hassle!
Thanks for the post Matt, and my experience is similar to yours. Indeed, the most dangerous part of the West Bank is the checkpoint out. I lived as an expat in Ramallah for a year, and I can confidently say I felt its one of the safest places I’ve ever visited.
Andy, its seems you have a preconception that Arab men are dangerous. Did any of those staring at you demonstrate any actions that caused you to feel this way? Or do you think maybe it could be curious eyes only?
In fact, I felt people in the West Bank are the most generous, kind, warm and helpful people in the world. A simple Hi will instantly get you invited to coffee/tea/dinner.
I have no doubt it’s a lot safer than many American cities or schools.
My husband and I had an amazing experience visiting the West Bank just a few months ago.
A beautiful country, a beautiful people. Very safe and welcoming. We stayed in Jerusalem and only spent one day in Palestine visiting Bethlehem, Jericho and the Dead Sea. Next time I would love to stay in the West Bank.
My view of the region and the conflict will never be the same.
My family and I (with 2 teens) spent the month of December in Bethlehem after traveling in Europe for the previous 3 months. All that you describe was also our experience and we had very rich interactions with many Palestinians. We did take a tour to Hebron, a very eye opening experience and also explored the Jericho area. We never felt unsafe although the culture shock did take a bit to get over. But we found that there was more palpable tension in Jerusalem than the West Bank. While not always easy, it was good to spend that time there- so much to ponder now that we are back.
I was in Bethlehem August 2018 for 2 weeks with my son and his fiancé! We stayed at the oriental palace hotel! It was an experience like no other… moved freely and enjoyed every part and churches we visited.
I am planning on going back to Bethlehem next summer to revisit the beautiful city and its people.
It should be on everyone’s bucket list.
I was in Bethlehem August 2018 for 2 weeks with my son and his fiancé! We stayed at the oriental palace hotel! It was an experience like no other… moved freely and enjoyed every part and churches we visited.
I am planning on going back to next summer to revisit the beautiful city and its people.
It should be on everyone’s bucket list.
Thank you for reminding people the West Bank is safe. I have been travelling there on business once or twice a year since 2014 and have never had any concerns in Ramallah or other towns.
My experience of the West Bank is also of safety and unmatched kindness and hospitality. The people there have little or nothing and yet they want to talk and share and meet strangers and offer hospitality. I take the view that when they do you need to pay generously and with a good heart.
During my last visit to Israel in November, I did a day trip to Bethlehem. I did not get to see the Banksy art as we could not get close to the area. Tires were being burned, and rocks were being thrown at buses and cars. There were some protests against Americans (and others?). Would that stop me from visiting again? No! I am going back.
Any trip to the Holy Land is not complete without visiting the Palestinian areas including Bethlehem, East Jerusalem and other sites. Safety is not a concern at all, and the Palestinians have been most kind and generous at every encounter. The only times I felt unsafe is when crossing the Israeli checkpoints and had to be next to the Israeli soldiers with their loaded guns hanging nonchalantly across their chests in the direction of civilians. Any accidental move on the trigger can lead to a casualty.
Funny you mention, it was the thing about Israel that made the most uncomfortable, all those soldiers carrying big guns. Probably because I come from a very “gun adverse” country (Portugal), even our policemen are few and far between and they all carry their guns very discreetly, while military personel are usually nowhere to be seen.
And all those civilians carrying kalashnikovs on the streets of Jerusalem? Insane! Later I learned they go through a very thorough process to get their permit, one that includes psychological testing and that must be renewed every two years, but still…insane!
I’m not sure that those touts would make it into my top 20, in terms of aggression. But I agree that it seems to be safe.
It’s Gaza that’s probably not that safe.
I was in Bethlehem alone last June, I visited the Nativity church and then walked all the way to Banksy’s hostel and the separation wall. On the way back to Jerusalem, I went through the checkpoint 300, once again alone (it was lunchtime and it was pretty quiet, only one gate open. But it was quite an experience).
I felt safe. To be honest I never questioned if it would be safe or not, I just assumed it was. And it was Ramadan, so no touts to upset me (and no food to eat either!).
It’s weird the way some people get an idea of how (un)safe some places are – the media are really good at spreading misinformation. When I told my grandma I was going to Israel, she was in shock: “Why are you going to that place full of terrorists?!” To my surprised reply “When did you last see a terrorist attack in Israel
on the news?”, her own reply was “They are so many, they don’t even make the news anymore!”
When I decided on going to Iran, I was afraid I’d kill her of heart attack just by telling her, but her reaction was: “Oh really? I heard it’s a beautiful country!” Go figure…