The people of Syria are in our thoughts and prayers as the violence intensifies following lack of action by the UN Security Council.  China and Russia vetoed a Western-Arab U.N. Security Council resolution backing an Arab League plan for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside and end the government’s violence against its people.  The changes proposed by Russia, seen by Reuters, would have introduced language assigning blame to Syria’s opposition, as well as the government, for violence in which the United Nations says more than 5,000 people have died.

Western nations reject the idea of equal blame, saying the government is mainly responsible.

Russia had also insisted on dropping a demand that the Syrian government withdraw its security forces from cities, but U.S. and European delegations refuse to include that change.

Please pray for an end to the violence and an outcome that will bring freedom and prosperity for the Syrian people.

For more information and analysis, see:

• Syria crisis: Fear and abandonment in under-fire Homs
• William Hague says UN veto a ‘betrayal’ of Syrian people
• Syria Comment blog by Joshua Landis 
• China and Russia Act To Block a New Precedent for Intervention

The rate of growth for illegal settlers in the West Bank is growing at a faster pace than growth within Israel itself, according to a January, 2012, report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for the occupied Palestinian Territory (OCHA).   While the fenced or developed areas of settlements cover only 3% of the West Bank, 43% of the West Bank is off-limits to Palestinian use because it is allocated for settlements and their growth.  About one third of the land reserved for settlement growth is privately owned by Palestinians, the report said.

In addition, five Palestinians were killed (including 2 children) and over 1000 injured (one-fifth of whom were children) by Israeli settlers or soldiers in incidents related to the settlements. 

While the Israeli rationale for the wall is always given as security, this report concludes that “the location of the settlements was “the major consideration behind the deviation of the Barrier’s route away from the Green Line; once complete, about 80% of the settler population wil live in settlements located on the “Israeli” side of the Barrier.”

 Settlements are illegal under international law as they violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of the occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory.  This illegality has been confirmed by the International Court of Justice, the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention and the United Nations Security Council.  Some in Israel justify settlements because they say it is “disputed” land and not occupied.    Read full report.

While the world focuses on whether Palestinians and Israelis are or are not talking at the peace table, the realties on the ground continue unabated.  Illegal settlements keep growing, while Palestinian homes continue to be demolished and populations endangered and forced off their land. 

Note Areas A, B and C and the demolition numbers on the top left chart. From OCHAOPT. org

According to a new report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory, the demolitions occuring in Area C, as well as other Israeli practices favoring expanding settlements, “have resulted in fragmentation of land and shrinking space for Palestinians, undermining their presence.  Israeli authorities have also indicated that they intend to transfer several Palestinian communities out of strategic parts of Area C, raising further humanitarian and legal concerns.”

The report finds that “it is almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain permits (to build).  The zoning and planning regime enforced by Israel in Area C and East Jerusalem restricts Palestinian growth and development, while providing preferential treatment for unlawful Israeli settlements.  They find that “70% of Area C is “off-limits” for Palestinian construction, allocated instead for Israeli settlements or the Israeli military; and additional 29% is heavily restricted.”

During the Oslo process, the occupied Palestinian territory was divided in Areas A, B and C.  Area A was under Palestinian control (although Israeli incursions still occur there); Area B, which was under Israeli administrative control and Area C, which was under Israeli control.  All areas, however, are part of the occupied Palestinian territory, and it is illegal under international law for Israel to transfer its population onto the territory or remove the local people living there.

• Read the full report. 
  For an Ecumenical Accompanier’s perspective on seeing some of these demolitions, see Chris Cowan’s blog.  Chris served in the Southern Hebron Hills last year for the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit reaffirmed churches’ commitment to justice and peace in the Middle East, while stressing the importance of a common vision for living together by Christians and Muslims in the Arab world.

From left to right: Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, the WCC general secretary; H.H. Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church; and H.B. Patriarch emeritus Michel Sabbah at the WCC consultation in Lebanon. © Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia

From the World Council of Churches article – “Without this Christian presence, the conviviality among peoples from different faiths, cultures, and civilisations, which is a sign of God’s love for all humanity, will be endangered,” said Tveit.

He appreciated the participation of a range of Muslims in the consultation, who he says, have emphasized their commitment to strengthen the Christian presence in the Middle East. He said that it is through their action for the common good that people in the Arab world can accomplish peace, justice, freedom and harmony.

“We will certainly want to make clear to our wider constituency, the WCC’s extensive experience over many years of how Christians and Muslims continue to work together constructively for the common good,” he said.

Tveit also pointed out the challenges faced by the Christians in the Arab world, and the sense of insecurity they feel, due to political divides and persistent conflicts.  The WCC has addressed over a number of years the issue of emigration of Christians from the region resulting from the occupation and war in Iraq and the occupation of the Palestinian territories.

He said, “We know that the changes in the Arab world over the last year – and changes still to come – have also left many Christians, along with many Muslims, feeling uncertain and even afraid for their future.”

Highlighting the efforts of churches struggling for justice and peace in Israel and Palestine, Tveit said that the situation is of great concern for Christians in Jerusalem, as well as people of other faiths.

Tveit was speaking at the Christian-Muslim consultation on “Christian Presence and Witness in the Arab World” organized by the WCC programmes for Churches in the Middle East and Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation in collaboration with the Middle East Council of Churches.

• Full text of the WCC general secretary’s speech
• WCC programme for special focus on the Middle East

Father Bassilius Nassar, a Greek Orthodox priest who was helping a wounded man, was shot and killed in Hama on Wednesday.  Both the government and the opposition blamed the killing on the other.  This was the same day the Secretary General of the Syrian Red Cross, along with 23 others, were killed.  Reports of what really happened with both murders are contradictory.  We send our condolences to members of the Greek Orthodox Church and Christian community, as well as to the people of Syria who are experiencing such brutal violence and fear.  More than 5000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising began in mid-March of 2011. 

Our thoughts and prayers are also with the people of Egypt, as they celebrated one year since the January 25 uprising of last year.  We hope and pray that the outcomes of this Arab Spring bring peace, tolerance, justice and a better tomorrow for the people of Egypt.

On the Feast of Epiphany, 6 January, ELCJHL members and leaders gathered at the Baptismal Site at Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan to celebrate the ground breaking for the new Evangelical Lutheran Pilgrimage and Retreat Center at Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan.

Celebrations began with a service of Holy Communion by the Jordan River with Bishop Younan preaching and presiding, and Pastor Mitri Raheb, pastor in Bethlehem and President of the Synod; Pastor Sani Ibrahim Azar, pastor in Jerusalem; and Pastor Samer Azar, pastor in Amman assisting.

Read more at this link.
Click here to view more photos from the day.
Click here to view other galleries of photos from the Baptismal Site.
Click here to read Bishop Younan’s full sermon from the groundbreaking.

Stay tuned for ways you can support this important project!

The official announcement of Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb as recipient of the 2011 prestigious international award “Deutscher Medienpreis” was made in Germany on Friday, January 13, 2012. Launched in 1992, the award was mainly granted to Heads of States, including the German Chancellor Angela Merkel (2009), the Dali Lama (2008), King Juan Carlos of Spain (2006), Kofi Anan (2003), Queen Rania of Jordan (2002), , Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (2000), Bill Clinton (1999),

Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb and other prize recipients

Nelson Mandela (1998), King Hussein of Jordan (1997), Boris Yeltsin (1996), President Arafat (1995), Yitshak Rabin (1995), Francois Mitterrand (1994), Chancellor Helmut Cole (1993), in addition to few and selected personalities such as Sir Richard Branson (2010), Steffi Graf (2007), Bono (2005) and Rudolph Giuliani (2002).

Aside from Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, the award is given to the Russian Stanislaw Petrow, who prevented a potential third world nuclear war in 1983; the Afghani Dr. Sakena Yacoobi who worked diligently on empowering women in Afghanistan; and to Dr. Denis Mukwege from Congo, who assisted thousands of rape victims in the Congo war.

The decision of the jury to give the award to Rev. Dr. Raheb was based on his tireless work in creating room for hope for his people, who are living under Israeli Occupation, through founding and building institutions of excellence in education, culture and health. He was also recognized due to his strong position and stance on the Culture of Life and Dialogue.

The official ceremony will be held in the city of Baden-Baden in Germany on February 24, 2012. The keynote speaker during the celebration will be the former German President Professor Roman Herzog.

Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb expressed his delight to receive this prestigious award, since it is indicative of the international appreciation and recognition of his efforts that are made on the local, regional and international levels.

For more information, go to: www.deutscher-medienpreis.de

These words are taken from the Christmas Eve sermon from Pastor Fred Strickert, the ELCA missionary who serves at the English-speaking Redeemer Lutheran Church in Jerusalem.  On Christmas Eve, the Arabic, German and English-speaking congregations join together at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem (below) for an international service.  Pastor Fred preached this year’s sermon: 

‘And so the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’  (John 1:14)  Among us in our world filled with refugees and immigrants.

The child of a refugee family finding hospitality and welcome in Bethlehem, just as the church today accepts the challenge of welcoming the stranger today.  Fred Otieno, from the Church in Nairobi, recently said reflecting on his 18 hour a day, seven day a week position as camp coordinator at the Dadaab Refugee Camp, ‘God has a purpose for us being here to make a difference in the lives of these people, so we must try and help them enjoy their stay, because at the end of the day we all need one another.’ 

This is the message that goes out from the Bethlehem manger, “At the end of the day we all need one another.”

• Christmas is not about how much we can accumulate and horde, but about how much we can give away, sharing ith those in need. 
• Christmas is not about walls that divide, security that ntimates, and policies that humiliate, but about an attitude toward life in a spirit which loves the other as our self.
• Christmas is not even about safe, romantic, idyllic tales of long ago, but it is about Christ coming into our midst, now, in the present moment.
• Christmas is about welcoming Jesus into our midst, as we welcome the least among us, as we show hospitality to the stranger, for then we may discover that we have been entertaining angels unawares, or even God’s own son. 

Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem.

Read full sermon

Christmas Lutheran Church and the Internationl Center of Bethlehem joined together with the Washington National Cathedral for the 5th annual Christmas service simulcast on Saturday, Dec. 17.  Watch video of the service.

The Rt. Rev. Munib Younan, LWF President and Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, released his Christmas message for 2011, lifting up the waiting that Anna and Simeon had to do in their lifetime:

Imagine having to wait for all those years.

Yet Anna and Simeon were able to wait in hope in spite of their difficult circumstances, in spite of their challenging times. Their faith, their steadfastness, their edifying and uplifting spirituality, their community support, and their prophetic message equipped them and enabled them in their long years of waiting.

In the same way today, in our difficult circumstances and in our challenging times, we can learn from them as we wait in hope, not in resignation.

This Christmas, may we be blessed with the words of Simeon:

“Lord, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; For my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.”

Simeon and Anna must have thought that it could never happen in their lifetimes. They must have had doubts and second thoughts. They must have questioned the promises. Yet they continued to live in faith with a hope that was unshaken. They remained steadfast in Jerusalem, finding support in community. They did not hesitate to speak forth a prophetic word. And through their patient waiting their eyes saw the salvation prepared for them and the whole world. Christ was born in a manger—good news for all people.

I pray that this model of hopeful waiting of Anna and Simeon may now exhibit itself in the people of the Middle East.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year in 2012! 

Download full message here.

A portion of a Christmas card from the ELCHL, illustrated by students.

The ELCHL schools send Christmas greetings to all in a card illustrated by students. 

See the full Christmas card  |  See photos of the Ramallah Christmas program  |  See other ELCJHL photos for schools