Bethlehem—meaning "House of Fertility" in Canaanite times, "House of Meat" in Arabic, and "House of Bread" in Hebrew, is a holy city home to the most famous church, where Jesus was born ‘the church of Nativity’.

There are many narratives about Jesus (Issa/Yashu) across the three religions. Briefly, Christians and Muslims both believe Jesus was real; the difference is that Christians believe he is the Son of God, while Muslims believe he is a prophet. Both believe he will return. Jews, meanwhile, believe Jesus was false and that the true Messiah has not yet come. Additionally, jews believe that when the Messiah comes, he will gather the Jews again in one land. It was partly for this belief that Christian Evangelicals around the world supported the creation of Israel, to bring about the return of Jesus.

After the Nakba in 1948 and creating Israel, around 90,000 Palestinian Christians were expelled from Palestine to places such as South and North America, a total of 40% of the entire Christian population. Meanwhile, the city received Palestinian refugees, creating three major refugee camps: Aida, Dheisheh, and al-Azza.

By the beginning of the twenty-first century, the city became marked by an 8-meter-high segregation wall that cuts through its landscape, shaping movement and life in visible ways, covered with graffiti drawn by artists and visitors from all over the world.