The Cremisan Valley is a valley located in Palestine on the Seam Zone between the West Bank and Jerusalem.
The valley is one of the last green areas in the Bethlehem district, with vast stretches of agricultural lands and recreational grounds. The Salesian Sisters Convent and School, the Salesian Monastery and Cremisan Cellars are located in the valley.
Salesian Sisters Convent and School
The main convent and monastery are part of the Salesian order, founded by Don Bosco. The convent and school were opened in 1960 and have around 400 students in their primary school, kindergarten, as well as the school for children with learning disabilities. The school also hosts a number of community activities in the afternoons and summer camps.
Cremisan Monastery
thumb|left|Inside the monastery
The monastery, located on a hill 850 meters above sea level, is five kilometers from Bethlehem.
It is within Jerusalem municipal limits, while the storeroom on the other side of the parking lot is in the West Bank. The road to the monastery passes one of the coordinating offices between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
Cremisan Cellars
thumb|250px|Cremisan Cellars logo
Cremisan Cellars is a winery in operation since the establishment of the monastery in the 19th century. Modern equipment was introduced in 1977. The winery is run by the Salesians of St. John Bosco. The grapes are primarily harvested from the al-Khader area. Only 2% of the wine production (around 700,000 litres per year) is made from Cremisan's own grapes. The rest comes mainly from Beit Jala, Beit Shemesh, and the Hebron area. The barrier would have divided the 19th Century Salesian monastery, relocated on the Jerusalem side from the neighbouring convent and primary school run by nuns. Israel military authorities argued that construction of the wall was a necessary measure, or "matter of expediency," designed to thwart future attacks by would-be terrorists infiltrating into Israeli towns and settlements.
thumb|Olive groves and vineyards in the Cremisan Valley near the monastery
2012 proposals for the barrier show it looping around the convent, keeping it on the Palestinian side, but splitting it from the neighbouring monastery, which would be on the Israeli side. The elementary children would still be allowed to attend the school, passing soldiers at an Israeli checkpoint. Landowners would be given limited access via an agricultural gate.
According to the human rights group B'Tselem, 85 percent of the route falls inside the West Bank instead of following the Green Line. Residents of Beit Jala believe the route was chosen to connect the West Bank Israeli settlement of Har Gilo to nearby Gilo.
During the Second Intifada of 2000 there were regular shootings from Beit Jala to Gilo. Israeli Defence Ministry spokesman Joshua Hantman said "The route of the security barrier is based on the specific security considerations of the area. In the Beit Jala region, it is there solely to keep terror out of Jerusalem."
Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem said in 2013, "We remind Israeli decision-makers that the expropriation of lands does not serve the cause of peace and does not strengthen the position of the moderates."
The 9 year legal battle waged by the two local monasteries and the 58 Palestinian landowners in Beit Jala ended when the Israeli Supreme Court ruled in favour of the petitioners in April 2015. The monastery and convent, it determined, ought to remain connected on the Palestinian side of the separation barrier. It was the second such decision in favour of maintaining the integrity of an area on the West Bank, following the Supreme Court's decision in favour of the villagers of Battir, who had petitioned to stop the separation wall from breaking up their traditional lands. A week later an Israeli soldier, David Ben-Shimol, stole and shot a LAW rocket at a Palestinian bus as an unauthorized retaliation, killing one and injuring 10 Palestinians.