Peace Not Walls

Late April and early May mark a stark contrast for Israelis and Palestinians.  This year, the state of Israel celebrated 64 years of independence in late April.  But on May 15, Palestinians commemorated the same events as a tragedy they...

It was December of 2002 when I first encountered the very beginnings of the separation barrier.  I was visiting the Holy Land on an interfaith peace trip, and in order to reach a friend’s house for dinner in Abu Dis...

One of the Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike has been transfered to the hospital, and his request to be released denied.  Read more At the same time, more prisoners are being arrested.  Here is a blog post from Lauren-Whitney Gottbrath, a...

The UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk said he is appalled at the conditions that have led to more than 1500 prisoners taking part in a hunger strike.  Prison authorities have reportedly taken punitive measures against those on hunger strike, including denying...

In a new report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (UNOCHA) details the increasing settlement activity in Palestinian residential areas of East Jerusalem, especially the increasing evictions of Palestinians from their...

The story about the shrinking population of the Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land was broadcast on “60 Minutes” Sunday, 22 April 2012, including an interview with the Rev Dr. Mitri Raheb of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. The story includes...

A new report by the Ma’an Development Center describes the vast difference in treatment and development of Palestinian villages and illegal Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley.  From the report: “The Jordan Valley is approximately 15-20 kilometers wide and, at...

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...

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...

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...