Bethlehem Governorate

Ma'ale Rehav'am (Hebrew: מַעֲלֶה רְחַבְעָם) is an Israeli outpost in the West Bank, located south of Bethlehem and northeast of Hebron in the northeastern Judean Mountains on Road 3698 in the eastern Etzion bloc. Its mother community, the settlement of Nokdim is administrated by the Gush Etzion Regional Council, which lists Ma'ale Rehav'am as a separate "community" on its official website.The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this. Outposts like Ma'ale Rehav'am, on the other hand, are considered illegal even under Israeli law. Ma'ale Rehav'am was among the outposts the Israeli government pledged to remove under the 2003 Road map for peace. According to IDF sources, demolition orders have been issued for most of the houses, but development has continued.

Kfar Eldad (Hebrew: כְּפַר אֶלְדָּד) is an Israeli settlement organised as a community settlement in the West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Kfar Eldad is administered by the Gush Etzion Regional Council. The settlement is in the vicinity of Herodium and overlooks the Judean Desert. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank, like Kfar Eldad, illegal under international law.

Ashawawra (Arabic: الشواورة) is a Palestinian village located twelve kilometers southeast of Bethlehem. The village is in the Bethlehem Governorate central West Bank.

The Judaean Desert or Judean Desert (Arabic: برّ الخليل, romanized: Barr al-Khalil, Hebrew: מִדְבַּר יְהוּדָה, romanized: Midbar Yehuda) is a desert in the West Bank and Israel that lies east of Jerusalem and descends to the Dead Sea. Under the name El-Bariyah, it has been nominated to the Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in the State of Palestine, particularly for its monastic ruins.

Za'atara (Arabic: زعترة) is a Palestinian town located 11 km (6.8 mi) southeast of Bethlehem. The town is in the Bethlehem Governorate central West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of over 7,849 in 2017.

Jubbet ad-Dib (Arabic: جبة الذيب, also spelled Jubbet adh-Dhib) is a small Palestinian village in the central West Bank, part of the Bethlehem Governorate. It is located about 6.5 kilometers southeast of Bethlehem and is just east of the Palestinian town of Jannatah and north of the Israeli settlement Kfar Eldad. Its lands border on the settlement of Havat Sdeh Bar. It had a population of 144 according to the 2017 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS). Jubbet ad-Dib has a total land area of 402 dunams, of which 8 constitute as built-up area, and is situated at an altitude of 628 meters above sea level.

Nokdim (Hebrew: נוֹקְדִים, lit. Shepherds) is an Israeli settlement organized as a community settlement in the West Bank. Located south of Bethlehem in the northern Judean Mountains, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gush Etzion Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 2,764. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.A mixed community of religious and secular Jews, both native Israelis and immigrants, Nokdim is home to the religious pre-army Mechina Magen Shaul, established in 1996.

Sdeh Bar Farm (Hebrew: חַוַּת שְׂדֶה בָּר, Havat Sdeh Bar) is an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Originally an Israeli outpost, illegal under Israeli law, it has been retroactively designated a suburb of Nokdim, located adjacent to the Palestinian village of Jubbet ad-Dib. Located south of Bethlehem near the foothills of Herodium, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gush Etzion Regional Council. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

Herod's Palace is an archaeological site within the fortress of Herodium in the West Bank, about 12 kilometers south of Jerusalem. Herod the Great commissioned a lavish palace to be built between 23 and 15 BCE atop Herodium for all to see. The palace itself consisted of four towers of seven stories, a bathhouse, courtyards, a Roman theatre, banquet rooms, a large walkway (“the course”), as well as extravagant living quarters for himself and guests. Once Herod died and the Great Revolt started, Herodium was abandoned. The Jews eventually had a base at Herodium where they built a synagogue which can still be seen today, unlike much of Herod's Palace.

Herodion (Ancient Greek: Ἡρώδειον; Arabic: هيروديون; Hebrew: הרודיון), Herodium (Latin), or Jabal al-Fureidis (Arabic: جبل فريديس, lit. '"Mountain of the Little Paradise"') is an ancient fortress located 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of Jerusalem and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southeast of Bethlehem. It is located between the villages of Beit Ta'mir, Za'atara and Jannatah. It is identified with the site of Herodium, built by King of Judea Herod the Great built between 23 and 15 BCE. Herodium is 758 meters (2,487 ft) above sea level.The site is in Area C of the West Bank, formally under the jurisdiction of the Israeli Civil Administration, a body of military officers, and in practice it is administered jointly with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Israel asserts that it is entitled to work in the area under the Oslo Accords, but the Palestinian authorities say Israel has no right to undertake digs there or remove artifacts that Israel discovered in excavations there.

The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas, known in Arabic and Syriac as Mar Saba (Syriac: ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܣܒܐ, Arabic: دير مار سابا; Hebrew: מנזר מר סבא; Greek: Ἱερὰ Λαύρα τοῦ Ὁσίου Σάββα τοῦ Ἡγιασμένου) and historically as the Great Laura of Saint Sabas, is a Greek Orthodox monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley in the Bethlehem Governorate of Palestine, in the West Bank, at a point halfway between Bethlehem and the Dead Sea. The monks of Mar Saba and those of subsidiary houses are known as Sabaites. Mar Saba is considered to be one of the oldest (almost) continuously inhabited monasteries in the world, and it maintains many of its ancient traditions. One in particular is the restriction on women entering the main compound. The only building that women can enter is the Women's Tower, near the main entrance.

Juhdum is a Palestinian village located eight kilometers east of Bethlehem.The village is in the Bethlehem Governorate Southern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the village had a population of 1,391 in mid-year 2006.