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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton overrides Ros-Lehtinen and releases money to Palestinian

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently announced that she would override the decision by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, to continue to hold part of the $147 million congress appropriated to the Palestinians last year.  Ros-Lehtinen recently agreed to release her...

Some restricted aid to finally reach Palestinians, with conditions

Last year, Congress approved $147 million in aid to the Palestinians which should have been spent last year to rebuild infrastructure and generate economic growth.  Two congresswomen, however, have delayed those funds for 8 months.  Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist, comments...

Many Palestinian Christians can’t get to Jerusalem for Holy Week, they say

Palestinian Christians say it is ironic that people can come from all over the world to commemorate Holy Week services in Jerusalem while brothers and sisters in Christ 5 or 6 miles away aren’t allowed because they don’t get permits.  They...

Follow bloggers during the walk of Holy Week

httpv://youtu.be/-PujjHkFjyA “Joy is one of the pillars of our resilience,” says one Palestinian Christian in Bethlehem celebrating Palm Sunday.  The Israeli government does give churches special permits for their people to go to Jerusalem during these Holy Days, but the permits are...

Israel has been earmarking Palestinian land for settlements for years, maps show

The Israeli government has been earmarking Palestinian land for settlement expansion for years, maps released recently show.  The maps, which name some new or expanded settlements where Palestinian villages now exist, were only disclosed by Israeli authorities because of a challenge...

EAPPI helps build peace and work for justice in the Holy Land

ELCA member Tammie Danielsen spent the winter in Hebron this past year as an Ecumenical Accompanier with the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme for Palestine and Israel (EAPPI).  There she walked children to school to be a presence to prevent violence from Israeli settler...

Israel cuts ties with UN Human Rights Council while B’Tselem releases bleak human rights report

Israel decided Monday, March 26, to sever all contact with the United Nations human rights council and with its chief commissioner Navi Pillay, after the international body decided to establish an international investigative committee on the West Bank settlements. The Foreign...

Dr. Hannan Ashrawi on the peace process, the 2-state solution and the Arab Spring

A lunchtime interview with Dr. Hannan Ashrawi covers the peace process, the viability of a 2-state solution and the Arab spring.  Dr. Ashrawi is a legislator, activist, and scholar. She served as the official spokeswoman for the Palestinian delegation to the...

Advocating for Equality

Synopsis – Advocacy for a just peace for Israel and Palestine has focused largely on long-term solutions, even while daily life for Palestinians has deteriorated and inequalities have multiplied. While not ignoring the need for a permanent solution, including an end...

Kairos Palestine responds to Ambassador Michael Oren

The conversation about who speaks for Palestinian Christians continued this week, as Kairos Palestine responded to Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren’s recent Wall Street Journal op-ed.   In the Kairos response , they said: As Kairos Palestine, we refuse to be marginalized...