investment—hope to add a shopping bazaar, handicraft village and archaeological museum. Daibes Abu Dayyeh is helping them market Bethlehem as a venue for inter- national conferences and major religious events. She is also helping to market the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land’s two guesthouses and con- ference center in the Bethlehem area (see
www.elca.org/ peacenotwalls/travel). Daibes Abu Dayyeh wants Palestinians to take pride
in historical and religious archaeological sites. Her office produced a series of pamphlets to promote the Qumran Caves and Dead Sea (both claimed and con- trolled by Israel), as well as Palestinian cities such as Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jericho and Nablus. Recently she inaugurated the Jericho 10,000 Years
project, celebrating the site of the oldest continuously inhabited city. She also campaigned to have Bethlehem recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Political challenges Daibes Abu Dayyeh noted that the political unease in the region may negatively affect Palestinian tourism in the near future. But she believes tourism can help build bridges of peace between the two peoples who both pro- mote the Holy Land. From her office, Daibes Abu Dayyeh and her staff have an expansive view of southern Bethlehem. Pale stone buildings hug the gentle slopes of the city. The steeple of the Church of the Nativity stands out in the background. Farther away are the Shepherd’s Field in Beit Sahour, Herodian, the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea, which can be seen on a clear day.
Behind a low swelling of hills—just out of view—is Jerusalem. So, too, in her work life, Jerusalem lies temptingly out of reach for the minister. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim it as their capital, but since 1967 Israel has retained control of the city. East Jerusalem is home to such Christian holy sites as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Via Dolorosa and Gethsemane. Here also is the Western Wall, a Jew- ish holy site and an ancient retaining wall of the plat- form where today the Muslim Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque stand. Muslims believe this is where Muhammed ascended into heaven. In biblical times, the ancient Jewish Temple stood here. It’s one of the most contested sites between Israel and the Palestinians. It’s not easy for two countries to promote holy and tourist sites in a city both are vying for, Daibes Abu Dayyeh said. “This is part of the challenge,” she said. “We won’t have equal opportunity to promote the Holy Land as we define it politically (within the 1967 borders)
because of the constraints in the freedom of movement ... control over borders is not in our hand.” Cooperation among the two tourism ministries has
petered out because of what Daibes Abu Dayyeh feels is inequality. While there is cooperation among the pri- vate sector, she cites alleged discriminatory practices that make it difficult for Palestinian businesses to get building permits in East Jerusalem. Three relatively new hotels in East Jerusalem are Israeli-owned and built on Palestinian land, she said. According to Palestinian estimates, they received close to 2 million of the 3.5 million visitors to Israel, but only 5 percent to 7 percent of the revenues generated, she said. Part of the problem is the limitation of move- ment for private Palestinians involved in tourism and the lack of a gateway to countries abroad, which would allow Palestinians to collect airline and visa taxes, she said.
As for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, it claims that
Daibes Abu Dayyeh is actually damaging the Palestinian tourism industry by politicizing her role. Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Misezhniov, a member of the right-wing Israel Beitainu Party, said cooperation between the two ministries is “necessary and important,” noting that the area known as the Holy Land includes Palestinian, Jor- danian and Israeli areas. Daibes Abu Dayyeh said, “Cooperation works bet- ter with the private sector, not so well with the official counterparts,” she said. “The main issue is that when we talk about tourism we have to be equal partners. ... Our Israeli counterpart is not yet ready ... to accept us as equal partners.” Meanwhile, Daibes Abu Dayyeh focuses on internal development and improving tourist facilities and ser- vices. Those include the Nativity Hiking Trail, devel- oped in 2000, a bird-watching trail and a biking trail. Other improvements are directed toward rural, politi-
cal and solidarity tourism. Though few in number, hotel facilities are improving outside of the Bethlehem and Ramallah areas, and Palestinians are working to upgrade home hospitality accommodations, she said. It’s important work, said Lutheran pastor Mitri Raheb. “People come here to walk where Jesus walked 2,000 years ago,” he said. “We also want people to come and see what God is doing in the Holy Land today.” Daibes Abu Dayyeh acknowledges the importance of
attracting pilgrims and the challenge of competing with other Mediterranean destinations that offer sun and surf. “Still, we have been able to develop our own way of attracting tourists,” she said. “We are challenging tour- ists to come experience Palestine in a different way.” M
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