Bethlehem is an historic city located on the West Bank of Palestine, not far south of Jerusalem. A border, checkpoints and concrete security wall nowadays separate them. Once closely-related towns, they're now in quite different worlds.

The city itself has a population of around 30,000, though it is part of a conurbation of 60,000 that includes Beit Sahour, Beit Jala, Deheisheh refugee camp and al Khadr, where the Hope Flowers school is located. Over recent decades the population has been swollen with refugees from Israeli-occupied areas.

It's now a closed-in town with a struggling economy, yet it is a surprisingly interesting and pleasant town to visit. It is calmer and friendlier than Jerusalem, with a strong community atmosphere. The pictures on this page show some views of life in today's Bethlehem.

This town once gave birth to a cast-out child who became very famous. At least two billion people worldwide have a Christmas card image of the 'little town of Bethlehem'. It is a caring, homely town, tinged with the tragedies of the recent conflict, and it's somehow fitting that the Hope Flowers School is developing peace and democracy education in this likeable yet damaged place.