Leading Christian and Muslim clergymen are calling on Pope Benedict XVI to postpone his planned visit to Israel, which is scheduled for May, in protest of a comedy skit seen on the late-night variety television show hosted by comedian Lior Shlein.

In a press conference held on Wednesday in Nazareth, religious leaders denounced Shlein for a spoof entitled "Like a virgin" which depicts two characters who play Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

In the skit, Mary is heard saying she had slept with many men and that she was not a virgin at all.

Special For "Come and See", Feb 19, 2009

Three weeks of Israel-Hamas fighting left Gaza's beleaguered Christian community beginning 2009 in their worst situation since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

"We as Palestinian Christians are very saddened to see those on both sides killed from bombing and rockets lobbed back and forth, but Israel has exaggerated their response," said Hanna Massad, exiled pastor of Gaza Baptist Church, the only evangelical congregation in the 25-mile coastal strip. "We weep for the Israelis who have died, but the suffering is much more on the Gazans."

Jeremy Weber, Feb 10, 2009, Christianity Today Web edition

The Old Testament is a Jewish book and a Christian one at the same time. Palestinian Christians struggle to reconcile these paradoxical identities of the Old Testament. On the one hand, the Old Testament belongs to the church. On the other hand, it has been politicized and employed to support oppressive violent acts. This tension in understanding the Old Testament led to organizing a conference on reading the Old Testament in Bethlehem. (Feb 10 – 13, 2009)

Special For Come and See, Feb 14, 2009

Senior Haaretz editir Akiva Eldar interviews Former US president Jimmy Carter - in light of new American President and the Israeli Elections.

"I've known the history of the Jewish people, the Hebrew people, the Israelites, and I've taught these things every Sunday since I was 18 years old. So I'm deeply committed as a Christian to seeing the covenant with Abraham fulfilled," says Carter, noting that peace in the Middle East is also "a key to tremendously reducing the level of animosity against my own country, and reducing the commitment to violence through terrorist acts."

Akiva Eldar, Haaretz, Feb 13, 2009

Benedict XVI's preparations for his trip to the Holy Land are under way, as he himself confirmed today in a meeting with a Jewish delegation from the United States.

The Pope was visited today in the Vatican by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Zenit.org, Feb 12, 2009

In January, Patty Shelly, professor of Bible and religion at Bethel College in North Newton, and Doug Miller, professor of biblical and religious studies at Tabor College, Hillsboro, had “the unique experience,” as Shelly put it, of traveling with students to a country at war.

By Melanie Zuercher, Bethel College News Archives., Feb 11, 2009

Egyptian police have arrested a German-Egyptian graduate student after a rally in support of the Palestinians in Gaza and are holding him in a secret location, a fellow activist said Sunday.

Philip Rizk, a 26-year-old student of Middle Eastern studies at the American University in Cairo, was detained Friday and his whereabouts is unknown, said anti-torture activist Aida Seif El Dawla.

A security official confirmed Rizk's detention but gave no other details. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak with the press.

American pastor James Ridgway was honored late last month for bringing some 300,000 tourists to Israel since 1974 through his nonprofit organization, Educational Opportunities, which was also marking its 35th anniversary.

The January 28 event at the Olive Tree Hotel in Jerusalem was attended by about 120 people.

Ridgway first visited Israel in 1959 as an Interfaith Fellow at the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio. His visit made such an impact on his life that he felt called upon to bring other people here, he said.

NADIA BEIDAS, the Jersualem Post, Jan 28, 2009

The Knesset's "Christian Allies Caucus" is marking five years of operation this month by redoubling its efforts to direct Christian faith-based support for Israel to legislatures around the world.

The increasingly-influential parliamentary lobby, which currently numbers 13 MKs from seven parties across the political spectrum, epitomizes Israel's interest in garnering the support of the largely pro-Israel Protestant evangelical community.

Etgar Lefkovtis, Jan 30, 2009, The Jerusalem Post