Visitor Attractions in the Palestinian Territories - Church of the Nativity, Rachel's Tomb, Joseph's Tomb, Tell Balata, Jacob's Well (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 23. Chapters: Church of the Nativity, Rachel's Tomb, Joseph's Tomb, Tell Balata, Jacob's Well, Crazy Water Park, Wadi Qelt, Solomon's Pools, Mar Saba, Hamam al-Sammara, Gaza Museum of Archaeology, Manger Square, Al-Bustan resort, Bisan City tourist village, Turmus Aya Equestrian Club, Baituna al-Talhami Museum, Faisal Equestrian Club, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center, Jericho Equestrian Club, Badd Giacaman Museum, Tomb of Joshua, Palestinian Heritage Center. Excerpt: Rachel's Tomb (Hebrew: translit. Kever Rakhel), also known as the Dome of Rachel, (Arabic: translit. Qubbat Rakhil), is an ancient structure believed to be the burial place of the biblical matriarch Rachel. It is located just south of Jerusalem, on the outskirts of Bethlehem, West Bank. The earliest extra-biblical records regarding the tomb at this location date back to the beginning of the 4th century AD. In 1947, the United Nations planned that the site should lie within an international zone, however, following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the tomb was incorporated into the West Bank which was subsequently annexed by Jordan. Israelis were unable to visit the tomb for 19 years until Israel captured it during the 1967 Six Day War. The 1995 Oslo accords stipulated that Israel would retain control at the tomb and by late 1996, Israel enclosed the tomb with a fortified installation. In 2005, despite protests from local Arab residents, Israel enclosed the complex within the Israeli side of the West Bank barrier, effectively annexing it to Jerusalem and barring access to Palestinian Authority residents. This move together with other Israeli actions at the site have been criticised by UNESCO, which views the tomb as forming part of the Palestinian territories. UNESCO's criticisms have given rise to charges in Israeli media that the organization is biased and motivated so...