Well done! You’ve made it to Jifna - a picturesque historic village at the intersection of two ancient trade routes. Here’s Fr Johny Bahbah from the Latin Church to welcome you:

Distance you've covered: 56.5 miles

Elevation: 661m

Population: 1,200

Christian population: 870

Principal churches:

• St Joseph’s (Latin Patriarchate)
• Orthodox church

Economy and culture

The area around Jifna is covered in olive groves, and walnuts, figs, apricots and grapes are also grown in the area. In fact, there’s a yearly apricot festival here at the start of May. Many are employed in local businesses and the nearby university in Birzeit also creates work opportunities.

Christian heritage

Jifna may be small but it has a rich spiritual heritage - there’s been a Christian majority here since the 6th century. You can visit the remains of the Byzantine-era Church of St George. Today, the Christian population is evenly split between Latin and Orthodox Christians.

Friends of the Holy Land in Jifna

• Parishioners of St Joseph’s Latin church were hit hard by unemployment during the pandemic. We’ve supported many of those in need with basic living costs.
• We’ve also supported the local Christian school to reduce their overheads, and helped families cover the small school fees, preventing the closure of the school during the pandemic. 

See you in Taybeh - where you can stop to enjoy a cool Palestinian beer!