All Brothers together in Bethlehem city

SMOKE rises up into the air heavy with chattering voices and clattering trays. Denim-clad students sit at nicotine-stained plastic tables spilling over with books and files. A typical lunch-time scene in a university cafeteria. But the falafel and hummus and a few women in white headcoverings provide clues to the location of this eaterie.

To a casual observer Bethlehem University radiates modernity, from the fashion-consciousness of its students to the shiny newness of the buildings, with Internet-connected computer rooms and gleaming gym facilities. However, on speaking to faculty and students it becomes obvious that life is not simple in a university situated at the heart of the Middle East and the beleaguered peace process.

Bethlehem University was established in 1973 under the sponsorship of the Pope. Management was handed to the religious order of La Salle or Brothers of the Christian Schools, which has a century's experience in running colleges in the Middle East.

The university receives funding from the recently established Palestinian ministry of higher education, and a term's fees for students not on scholarships are about Pounds 280.

The university was situated in Bethlehem "to provide higher education and to encourage Christians to stay put", says Brother Tom Cooney, vice president for development, a south Londoner who arrived in Bethlehem a decade ago.

However, the Christian population is steadily dwindling in the ancient city, which is separated from south Jerusalem by an Israeli army checkpoint. Only 40 per cent of the 40,000 inhabitants are Christians, although if the predominantly Christian satellite villages are included the figure is just over 50 per cent. In the entire West Bank, Christian Palestinians make up only around 3 per cent of the population.

Bethlehem University has had an unwavering Muslim majority since 1976; this year 65 per cent of the total 2,075 students. This is perhaps understandable given that Muslim families have more offspring than their Christian counterparts. The university has faculties of education, arts, science, nursing and business administration and an institute for hotel management. Two-thirds of students are female despite the fact, says Brother Tom, that "on application it is 50-50, so the women must be better qualified than the men, which may be because of the Intifada".

Rula Sarras is in her second year of a BA in English, the largest department in the university. Her course was severely disrupted by September's violent clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in Bethlehem in which one university student died. Following the riots, Bethlehem's border with Israel was tightly sealed, and the 30 per cent of faculty and staff who live in Jerusalem were prevented from entering.

"The university was closed for two weeks. When there are six or more people absent from a lecture, the teacher just can't teach anything," explains Rula.

Christmas, instead of a festive holiday season, has become a period of anxious revision. "The course was supposed to be finished on December 23, and now they have told us that finals are at the end of January," she said.

As peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians appear increasingly unsuccessful, students are finding it difficult to concentrate on their studies. However, Victor Kawwas, a first-year business administration student, is resigned to the conflict. "In some ways we have got used to it. It has become part of our lives."

The overriding feeling among their peers, say Rula and Victor, who are both Christian, is that Bethlehem is not the place to complete their education. "The dream of most students is to leave - to go to the United States or to Europe or anywhere else where they have more opportunities," says Victor, who is planning to study for his MA in Switzerland.

While some students yearn to escape permanently, a great many feel, claims Victor, "that their duty is to build their own country" and will use their skills to establish their state.

Although the regional situation seems to be deteriorating, inside the university the atmosphere is buzzing. Walking through the main hall past the unexpected sight of several ping-pong tables in constant use, Rula says: "The opportunities here are very limited due to the economic situation but we can see many institutions opening and many projects going on. It is difficult to think about our future. We live from day to day. But we still hope for the future."