Advent: Reflections from Bethlehem and devotional materials
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bNqaZwXLVo&feature=share&list=UU9FKTVBng6XeDUEArww1S3g Pastor Mitri Raheb of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem shares an advent greeting from the Holy Land. Christmas Lutheran does a simulcast Christmas Service between Bethlehem and the National Cathedral in Washington DC each year. Find out more about this...
Amendments to cut aid to Palestine unsuccessful
Recently, three amendments were proposed in the Senate which would have cut aid to Palestine, including $370 million for budget support for the Palestinian Authority. This would probably have affected vital organizations like Augusta Victoria Hospital in East Jerusalem. The amendments were in...
Images reveal settlement growth over the years
In this Haaretz article current plans for Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank are further explained. Check out this article for interactive maps that show settlement expansion over the years in Har Gilo, Har Homa, and Ma’aleh Adumim.
Givat Hamatos: newest Israeli settlement in southeast Jerusalem slated for final approval
The Jerusalem Municipality is expected to give final approval for a new settlement called Givat Hamatos near Bethlehem and Beit Safafa. It will be the first completely detached settlement built within the Green Line since Har Homa near Bethlehem. Givat...
Palestine becomes UN non-member state with observer status; Israel to build 3000 new settlement units
In an historic vote at the United Nations Thursday, Nov. 29, exactly 65 years after passing the Partition Plan for Palestine, the General Assembly voted by a huge majority to recognize Palestine within the 1967 borders as a non-member state with...
Bishop Hanson urges Pres. Obama to support upcoming Palestinian bid at UN
In a letter to President Obama on Nov. 26, ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson advocates for the US to support the upcoming Palestinian bid for non-member observer state status at the UN in the General Assembly: With the...
Israel and Hamas: Fire and Ceasefire in a New Middle East – International Crisis Group
The International Crisis Group analyzes the politics and new realities of the Gaza situation post-Arab Spring: For now, the immediate objective must be to ensure fighting truly stops and that the other commitments mentioned in the ceasefire agreement are fulfilled....
CMEP asks Americans to urge President Obama to work urgently for long-term peace
Churches for Middle East Peace urges Americans to support the ceasefire and write President Obama to renew an urgent process for peace in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories: All of us watching the escalating violence in Israel and Gaza...
LWF President and General Secretary urge parties to honor Gaza ceasefire
The Lutheran World Federation urges all parties to honor the Gaza ceasefire and appeals for an immediate resumption of negotiations for a broader peace. In a statement today by LWF President Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan and General Secretary Rev....
Pray for Gaza and Southern Israel
Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Gaza and Southern Israel, as escalated violence has claimed many lives and brought devastation to a beleaguered region. 110 Palestinians and 3 Israelis have been killed, hundreds wounded and enormous devastation of infrastructure...