The ancient tradition of carving olive wood brings hope and fulfillment to a 24-year-old paraplegic man from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in Bethlehem who recently received international recognition for outstanding achievements.

The second place award presented by the Palestine International Award for Excellence and Creativity in the special needs category recognizes Mu’in Al-Atrash’s tenacity to learn and perfect wood carving skills, overcome personal challenges and reach out to others living with disabilities.

Al-Atrash attributes his success to the support he received from the staff and volunteers of the East Jerusalem YMCA rehabilitation program in Beit Sahour, a program supported by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). With the right support, people with disabilities can meet the challenges that they have to face, he said.

Gladys Terichow, Mennonite Central Committe Web site, June 30, 2009

National Christian leaders meeting at The Carter Center on May 14-15 sent the following letter to President Barack Obama following two days of discussions on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Citing a growing sense of despair in the Holy Land, the letter conveys to the President support for his efforts to push for a two-state solution and calls for an immediate opening of the Gaza borders.

Carter Center Web site, May 18, 2009

The Church of Scotland’s General Assembly, meeting in Edinburgh this week, today (23 May 2009) decided to continue selling and profiting from goods from illegally occupied territories at its hotel centre in Tiberias in northern Israel - to the disappointment and dismay of many within the Church.

The Kirk operates three centres in Israel: two churches with hotels and a multi-cultural school.

www.ekklesia.co.uk, May 23, 2009

A Norwegian family of actors has been denied entry to Israel, because the Interior Ministry believes they may try to settle here.

The family members play the main roles in the musical "The Covenant," which tells the story of the People of Israel. They were planning to perform around Israel this summer.

By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz, June 30, 2009

How should bible-believing Christians align themselves in the Jewish-Palestinian conflict? There are biblical reasons for treating both sides with compassionate public justice in the same way that disputes should be settled between nations generally. In other words, the Bible does not teach us to be partial today to Israel or to the Palestinians because either has a special divine status. Israel has a unique place in God's plans, but this status does not warrant a claim, at the present time, to divine prerogatives.

Israel was chosen by God from all the peoples of the world to be the focus of special blessing in the history of redemption which climaxed in Jesus Christ, the Messiah. "The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6).

By John Piper, 2002, WorldMagazine

"It is undeniable that the Palestinian people- Muslim and Christians- have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than sixty years they have endured the pain of dislocation, Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza and neighboring lands of a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations- large and small that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: the situation of the Palestinian people is intolerable."

The above words were spoken by the President of the United States Barack Obama in Cairo to millions of people around the world. Never before had a US president even admitted the existence of Palestinian Christians let alone speak of the suffering of Palestinian Christians.

Daoud Kuttab, The Huffington Post, Jun 8, 2009

Three Messianic Jews on Wednesday petitioned the High Court of Justice to force the Interior Ministry and the Jewish Agency to allow them to immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return, and halt what they call "the humiliating and discriminatory treatment" by the government.

The petitioners, John Christopher from California and Nina and Kevin Ayres, a husband and wife from the U.K., identify themselves as Christians. They base their petition on the assertion that they have documents showing their grandparents were Jewish. In their petition, submitted by attorney Michael Decker, they claim this makes them eligible to immigrate to Israel (or make aliyah) according to the Law of Return - regardless of their current religious denomination. Barring them from realizing this right, they say, is illegal and discriminatory.

Cnaan Liphshiz, Haaretz, May 23, 2009

The joke, if that's what it is, goes like this: "You'll have to forgive us Jews for being a little nervous. Two thousand years of Christian love have worn down our nerves."

That says it all, doesn't it? The scars of antisemitism and missionary activity, the pathos-drenched sense of humor, the contempt for Christianity - this is certainly how I regarded our local majority religion as I was growing up. When I was a child, Christianity was like the big, stupid bully: at once idiotic, and overwhelmingly powerful. Couldn't they see how ridiculous their religion was? A virgin birth? Santa Claus? An Easter Bunny? A messiah who got killed, but actually died for our sins? And yet, these were the people running our country, telling us which days we get off from school and which we don't, and playing their insidious music every winter.

By Jay Michaelson, The Forward, May 13, 2009

The visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Jordan and Palestine is a perfect opportunity to review and stress the role of Christian Arabs in the peace process and their strong support for peace with justice.

To begin with, it is important for all to know that Arabs have been in Palestine and Jordan before the arrival of Islam and Christianity. References to the word "Arab" and its derivatives are mentioned hundreds of times in the Old and New Testaments. The biblical figure of Job is said to be Arab; Arabs were among the many attending the sermon on the Day of Pentecost by St. Peter, and were among the 3,000 who then became Christians. Acts II refers to Arabs having heard the sermon in their own tongue.

Daoud Kuttab, The Jerusalem Post, May 12, 2009