New UNOCHA Report on the Humanitarian Impact of Israeli Settlement Policies
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...
Israel Demolished 80% more Palestinian homes in 2012 than 2011
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...
Christian and Muslim Leaders Reflect on Christian Presence in the Middle East
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...
Syrian Priest Killed While Helping the Wounded
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...
ELCJHL Breaks Ground on New Church at Baptismal Site
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...
Mitri Raheb to Receive Prestigious German Recognition
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...
New EU Report says Two-State Solution Threatened by Israeli Policies in Area C
A new report by the European Union leaked to journalists says that the possibility of a two-state solution is getting more and more remote as Israeli policies of population transfer and demolition of homes continue. An article by the Israeli newspaper...
Jordan to host Israeli, Palestinian Envoys in Talks ahead of Quartet Meeting
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal emissary Yitzhak Molcho and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat will meet in Amman on Tuesday, hosted by Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh. According to the Haaretz article, Senior Palestinian official, Azzam al-Ahmed, said the the sides...
“Joseph also went. . . along with Mary, his wife. . . who was expecting a child.” (Luke 2:4-5)
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...
Christmas Service from Bethlehem/Washington and Bishop Younan’s Christmas Message
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...