About the city and the twinning
About The Hague
The Hague, known in Dutch as Den Haag, is the seat of government and parliament of the Netherlands and the capital of the province of South Holland. At the heart of the historic centre is the Binnenhof, a complex whose oldest buildings date to the 13th century. Its Gothic Hall of Knights, the Ridderzaal, is one of the city’s best-known landmarks.
The Hague is internationally known for its role in peace and justice. The Peace Palace houses the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Near the Binnenhof, the Mauritshuis museum displays works by Dutch masters, including Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. The city extends to the North Sea coast, where Scheveningen is known for its beach and seafront.
About The Twinning
In April 2000, the then mayor of The Hague, Mr. W.J. Deetman signed a friendship and cooperation agreement with the Municipality of Bethlehem, presented by its then mayor Mr. Hanna Nasser. The agreement was created to encourage contacts between organizations and citizens of both cities.
Since this agreement, both cities have enjoyed a fruitful relationship. In 2004, Bethlehem contributed to workshops in The Hague related to youth, public health and tourism. This led to discussing the possibilities of developing student exchange programs, improving preventive health care activities and submitting proposals for the sustainable strengthening of tourism infrastructure.
Additional gestures of solidarity and support include The Hague contributing towards projects such as Improving Bethlehem's Waste Collection Process in 2005, finalizing of the Municipal Alliance for Peace in the Middle East (MAP) project proposals in 2006 and financially supporting Bethlehem's Christmas celebrations in 2007. In addition to considering the then mayor of Bethlehem, Mr. Victor Batarseh, as part of the delegation of The First World Conference on City Diplomacy held in The Hague in 2008.