Khalil Shokeh (Bethlehem historian) discussing Ottoman period and World War I

POOR QUALITY AUDIO. Khalil Shokeh (Bethlehemite historian) interviewed by Marwa Sobeh. He discusses the following: Bethlehem changed during the late Ottoman period to become almost a city due to urban expansion and the influx of tourism that came from around the world, as well as the establishment of local organisations; farmers used to work with the Ottoman soldiers to sell their produce; local people had to communicate with the Ottoman authorities for the collection of taxes; Ottomans exploited the bad relations between Beit Jala and Bethlehem for their own benefit but sometimes they also had to intervene in disputes between them; overall there was exploitation on both sides between the Ottoman authorities and the local residents of Bethlehem. Original audio: CD. Transcript: summary. In the original collection at Bethlehem University this CD was categorised as File 1 of Box 1. This fileset exists as part of the Ottoman Empire and World War I collection within the Bethlehem University Oral History project of the Planet Bethlehem Archive.