Musalaha Statement: Discouragement is always a part of reconciliation. It is inevitable. However, one of the best ways to deal with discouragement is to look to inspirational examples of success. For instance, consider the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Many said it could never be built, because of all the obstacles that stood in its way: the currents, the winds, and the frequent earthquakes. Nevertheless, in the end they managed to build it, and brought the two sides of the bay closer to each other. Now people cross over it all the time and rarely ever think about the effort and how many years were required to build it. We take it for granted, but building bridges is hard work.

The woman killed in the terror attack was a Christian who had been working for 20 years translating the Bible into the language of a tribe in togo.

Mary Gardner was from Scotland and she came to Israel at the beginning of the year to hone her translating skills at a ministry here called the home for Bible translators (Assoicated with Wycliffe Bible Translators)

Chris Mitchell and Julie Stahl, CBN, and "Come and See", March 24, 2011

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate sold most of its leasing rights to large swaths of Jerusalem to a group of Jewish investors last week. The NIS 80 million agreement puts an end to the long draw-out land affair - at least for the next 140 years.

In the deal, signed March 10, the Patriarchate sold most of its rights to lease the land it has held in Jerusalem to a group of Jewish investors from Israel and abroad. The group includes the Ben David family, one of the wealthiest in Jerusalem, who are large property investors and partners in Givot Olam Oil Exploration.

The Marker, March 18, 2011

A Palestinian Christian writes about the terrorist attack and the killing of five members from the same family in Itamar settlement in the West Bank last weekend:

You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles (Matt 5: 38 – 41).

The text wants us to resist evil with good (Rom 12: 21). We are called to resist physical abuse, looting our possessions, and abandoning our freedom of choice. Whenever an evil person strikes we must engage the striker instead of acting like him or her.

Yohanna Katanacho, Special For Come and See, March 13, 2011

During a discussion held at a Washington D.C. church some years ago, Rateb Rabie watched in amazement as 200 people discussed how to support his relatives, nearly 6,000 miles away in the West Bank.

Andrew Khouri, Nation and World, March 4, 2011

The Anglican bishop in Israel, Suheil Dawani, petitioned the Jerusalem District Court yesterday demanding that Interior Minister Eli Yishai return his visa, which was confiscated after it was discovered that he sold land to Palestinians.

Six months ago, Dawani, who has served as the top Anglican official in Israel since 2007, was informed that the Interior Ministry had canceled his visa and that he would be deported from the country.

By Nir Hasson, Haaretz, Feb 24, 2011

Christians have been living in the Middle East seven decades prior to the arrival of Islam, and for 14 other decades as part of, or under, the law of Islam. Never has the situation of Christians reached such a difficult, unstable situation as it has in the last two years. Today the number of Christians is vastly dropping, particularly in places like Iraq and Palestine. Numbers are kept discreet as the church tries to encourage those few remaining to stay and continue to exist. But in reality, the emigration rate is very high as more families try to squeeze their way out of a place they once called home to a new land where they strive for safety and security.

Simon Azazian, Special For Come and See, Jan 15-th 2011

Salam Fayyad, the prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority is underlining the "vital" need for a Christian presence in that region.

The prime minister reported that for the first time in years, more Palestinians -- including Christians -- are returning to that region than leaving.

Zenit, Jan 11, 2011

Muslims turned up in droves for the Coptic Christmas mass Thursday night, offering their bodies, and lives, as “shields” to Egypt’s threatened Christian community.

“We either live together, or we die together,” was the sloganeering genius of Mohamed El-Sawy, a Muslim arts tycoon whose cultural centre distributed flyers at churches in Cairo Thursday night, and who has been credited with first floating the “human shield” idea.

Yasmine El-Rashidi, Al Ahram, Friday 7 Jan 2011