Following is the Speech of Rev. Dr. Munir Kakish celebrating the Palestinian Presidential Decree for recognizing the Council of Evangelical Churches in the Holy Land. The Speech was given in the presence of official representatives from the Palestinian Authority.

I pray that the Christians that visit Jerusalem during Tabernacles will begin to live and teach a gospel that points to Jesus who is full of grace and truth rather than a feast that has become polarizing and political, the celebrations of which only hinder the cause of Christ.

Israel’s apologists never seem to tire of pointing a finger of accusation at the Palestinian Authority with allegations that the PA persecutes Palestinian Christians. Hence, they say, the decline of the indigenous Christian population in the Palestinian territories.

The general assembly of the Jordan Evangelical Council chose reverend Habes Nimat as their new president for the coming three years. He replaces retired general Imad Mayyah who presided over the council during the past seven years.

It is deplorable and somewhat surprising to watch Danny Danon, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, wave a Bible at a session of the Security Council to defend his country’s theft of Palestinian land in the West Bank. He is certainly inspired by his boss, Benjamin Netanyahu, who, although secular, quotes the Bible frequently to sell his expansionist agenda.

When Christians speak about the need to stand against abortion, they do not consider the killing of living children among the Palestinians, nor the forceful occupation of the land and the building of settlements

Palestinians in Israel are disappointed but are not surprised. The outcome of the current elections has been predicted in more than one way. The Israeli politics showed a vision rooted in exclusivism, discrimination, fear, and Jewish superiority. Within this reality, Palestinians in Israel have a serious tension with leadership

Messianic Jewish and Palestinian Christian disciples of Jesus met in Antalya, Turkey, February 14-17, 2019 for the 5th conference of the Lausanne Initiative on Reconciliation in Israel/Palestine (LIRIP). Their focus was how to make a difference through practical demonstrations of the reconciling love of Jesus across the boundaries of intractable conflict and the seemingly irreconcilable dividing walls of politicised identities. Together they affirmed their unity and commitment to work for reconciliation and a just peace in Israel/Palestine.

This is the second instalment of a series on the Biblical significance of key Christian pilgrimage sites in Israel-Palestine. The first was on Nazareth. Due to length, this instalment on Bethlehem is divided into two parts. This is the first