“We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, hear the cry of hope that our children have launched in these difficult times that we still experience in this Holy Land. We support them and stand by them in their faith, their hope, their love and their vision for the future. We also support the call to all our faithful as well as to the Israeli and Palestinian Leaders, to the International Community and to the World Churches, in order to accelerate the achievement of justice, peace and reconciliation in this Holy Land . We ask God to bless all our children by giving them more power in order to contribute effectively in establishing and developing their community, while making it a community of love, trust, justice and peace.”
Because of the many political, economic, and social changes that have taken place since these principles were first affirmed in 1999, the AFSC has felt the need to update and reaffirm its policy regarding the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We believe that an articulated position based upon historic AFSC principles might offer some ways to reshape the peace discourse and allow it to move forward.
The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 75/20, in which the Assembly requested the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to report to it on the economic costs of the Israeli occupation for the Palestinian people. The report builds on, and complements, the findings of the previous report, issued in 2020 (A/75/310).
The Community Gallery presents exhibitions created by Victoria’s culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse communities. By working in collaboration with the Immigration Museum, these communities share their culture and heritage through their immigration stories.
I am conscious of the proverb about those who visit Jerusalem for a week and then go home to write a book about the conflict; and those who stay for a month and prepare a pamphlet upon their return home; while those stay longer remain silent after they go home.
This document is consolidated by OCHA on behalf of the Humanitarian Country Team and partners. It provides a shared understanding of the crisis, including the most pressing humanitarian need and the estimated number of people who need assistance. It represents a consolidated evidence base and helps inform joint strategic response planning.
One of the forgotten minority groups in the Middle East are Palestinian/ Arab Christians, particularly in Occupied Palestine (East Jerusalem and West Bank). Sadly, Christian churches around the world are not aware (and misinformed) that strong Christian minority exists in the region.
In July last year the 14th Assembly of the UCA made a series of resolutions on Palestine. In essence they were a restatement of the existing policy of the UCA – and, indeed, of the the NCCA.
These guidelines were developed in 2010 at a consultative meeting in Geneva to promote justice tourism for pilgrims to PalestineIsrael.
We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, hear the cry of hope that our children have launched in these difficult times that we still experience in this Holy Land. We support them and stand by them in their faith, their hope, their love and their vision for the future.
Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories cover a small area, no bigger than half the size of Switzerland, but since it is the Holy Land, bearing significance to many, it has always been a place of controversy. The ongoing decades-long conflict is in stark contrast to the remarkable and historical religious sites in the region.
The Alternative Tourism Group (ATG) is pleased to publish this shortened version of the booklet, “Listening to the Living Stones – Towards theological explorations of Kairos Pilgrimages for justice.” It is a booklet for pilgrims who visit the Holy Land with intent to “Come and See” the reality of the harsh reality of the situation in the Holy Land, especially as it affects the Palestinian people.
The JSTOR Archive is a trusted digital repository providing for long-term preservation and access to leading academic journals and scholarly literature from around the world. The Archive is supported by libraries, scholarly societies, publishers, and foundations. It is an initiative of JSTOR, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to help the scholarly community take advantage of advances in technology. For more information regarding JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Katanacho introduces major Palestinian Protestant responses to violence, grouping them into four response categories: biographies, apologies, Liberation theology, and Reconciliation theologies. Each category is described with a helpful critique. First, several pastors tell their stories, explaining their Christian faith in light of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Second, some theologians engage Islam or Zionism. Third, Palestinian Liberation theology is explained through the works of Nairn Ateek, Mitri Raheb, and others.
There is clearly no way of doing justice to the diversity of Palestinian Christian experience in a brief primer such as this. In fact, even defining the category of “Palestinian Christian” is more difficult than it appears, with both labels being themselves highly contested even before being placed next to one another.
JERUSALEM – A Palestinian Christian must be prepared to witness to the faith by submitting to daily difficulties “or even by sacrificing his or her life,” said Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem in a pastoral letter marking the end of his patriarchal ministry.
Palestine has experienced wave after wave of conquest and colonization, with the current occupation by Israel being both the latest and the most systematic. In the land where the Bible was formed we find a complex interaction of politics, scriptures and religion.
Let me begin by acknowledge the Kuringgai people, the indigenous owners and custodians of the land where we are gathered this afternoon. If we were inclined to add up all the dates in the Bible, as Archbishop Ussher tried to do just over 300 years ago, we would come up with a story that reaches back around 6,000 years.
The Palestine International Institute (PII) pioneers in producing studies provided by researchers in the Diaspora in coordination with the Institute, under the broad category, ‘Palestinians in Diaspora’.
Palestine has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967. The prospects for a negotiated peace and a “two-state solution” are bleak. The Occupied Palestinian Territories, consisting of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, are controlled by Israel. Gaza is under a military blockade. Illegal Israeli settlements and other Israeli land confiscations have taken over nearly half of the West Bank. Palestinians have little hope for a better future.
Some background on the current context is important. The most significant historical link to note is that Christians have been living in Palestine since the time of Jesus. Over the last two thousand years, there have been many twists and turns in the history of this land, including crusades, religious movements, occupations, invaders and a wide variety of empires and rulers.
The Christians of Palestine have asked us, the international church, to help them get their freedom back and for Palestine to become the independent State which was promised back in 1947.
Christians in the Middle East face enormous challenges that confront us with choices on which our future existence and presence depend. God’s words in chapter 30 of the book of Deuteronomy, quoted above, refer to the covenant and the commandments.
The ATG and its programs were initiated during the First Intifada of 1987 as a tool of resistance against occupation, marginalization, and negation.
The World Council of Churches is following developments in Israel and Palestine with mounting alarm and profound grief at the rising toll of people killed and injured in the escalating violence. We appeal urgently to all parties to step back from the brink of even more deadly and destructive conflict.
For many people the names “Arab Christians” and “Palestinian Christians” Seem to be oxymoronic. Christianity was, however, born in the Middle East, in a little town called Bethlehem. This article explores the ways in which Palestinian Christians, a minority group in Palestine and Israel, relate to both Jews and Muslims in Palestine and Israel.
Elias Chacour, Melkite Greek Catholic Archbishop, The Galilee.