Christians and Muslims weep together

No. 29 of 47. First published 21 Dec 2007. A Christmas Reflection on PalestineBy SONJA KARKAR19 December 2007 As Christmas approaches this year, the thoughts of Christians all over the world will once again turn to Bethlehem, the holy town where Jesus was born over two millennia ago. Voices will be raised in joyful celebration …

Six documents on Israeli-Palestinian issues

No. 28 of 47. First published 20 Dec 2007. Today we take a quick break from blogging our Australian delegation's activities in Israel and Palestine to note six important recent documents analysing various aspects of the conflict. There's a key paragraph and a link to the source, which I'm sure you will find stimulating reading. …

Meeting with Lutheran Bishop Munib Younan

No. 27 of 47. First published 18 Dec 2007. On Thursday 6 December 2007 our delegation met with Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, at the offices of the Jerusalem Inter-Church Center. Bishop Younan told us that, in his opinion, the root cause of all …

Dr Bernard Sabella’s 2006 Sydney address

No. 26 of 47. First published 16 Dec 2007. Dr Bernard Sabella is an interesting and energetic person. He is a Roman Catholic, a member of Fatah, an elected representative of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and professor of Sociology at Bethlehem University. It was my pleasure to sit next to him at the Jerusalem Heads of …

The Jerusalem Inter-Church Centre

No. 25 of 47. First published 9 Dec 2007. In my last post, I introduced the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme (EAPPI) that operates from the offices of the Jerusalem Inter-Church Center (JIC). The JIC is a recent initiative of the Jerusalem Churches in association with the Middle East Council of Churches and the World Council of …