The Israeli Ministry of Education recently announced the results of the Bagrut (Matriculation) Exams for the graduating classes of 2005 of schools all over Israel.

According to these results, 3 Christian schools from Nazareth and a Christian school in Haifa were among the top schools with the highest percentages of their students receiving excellence awards.

The Nazareth Baptist School ? the only Evangelical school in Israel - achieved second place nationwide among the medium-sized schools (with 50-100 graduates annually), having 30% of its 2005 graduating class receive excellence awards. First place was achieved by a specialized education school in Jerusalem called ?The Sciences and Arts School? which selects 10th grade students with an aptitude for science or the arts.

Special For "Come and See", Nov 6, 2006

Many Jews in the United States and in Israel feel uncomfortable with the joining of Jews and evangelicals. Under the title ?A blessing or a curse? American evangelists explained?, Yitzhak Benhorin of Yediot Ahronot provides an in-depth overview of ?Christian Zionists? in the USA, while trying to explain their support to the puzzled Israeli reader.

This article is located in the "Global Terror" section (!!) and draws Evangelicals as 75 Million Christians in America that their first love is Israel - It also interviews the executive director of the Evangelical Christian lobby group lead by Pastor John Hagee.

Yitzhak Benhorin, YNET, Nov 5, 2006

Evangelical Christians dug deep into their pockets to provide humanitarian relief to Israel during the war in Lebanon this summer, donating nearly $20 million dollars to help rebuild the north, according to estimates. Though largely overshadowed by the massive generosity of their American Jewish counterparts, the pro-Israel Christian community also rallied significantly in support of the north - though giving, perhaps, at lower levels and certainly, with less fanfare.

Daphna Berman, Haaretz, Nov 6, 2006

Rev. Hanna Massad shepherds Gaza Baptist Church. Four years ago, shortly after his marriage to a young Jordanian woman named Suhad, the couple was separated when the Israeli government refused to allow her to return to her husband from a visit to her parents in Amman.

After much prayer, many letters and the efforts of an attorney in Jerusalem, Suhad finally was allowed to come home, after 14 months

Several months ago, Suhad took their 21-month-old daughter, Joyce, to her parents' home to deliver their second daughter, Jolene. Again, however, the Israelis refused to issue visas to Suhad and their daughters.

Ron Barckin, Assist News Service, Oct 25, 2006

Starting from this school year, high school students will be able to take matriculation exam in 'Christian religion.' Program currently open for Arab students only, but Education Ministry says will consider allowing Jewish pupils to take it as well

The new curriculum is fruit of work of a committee including Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Maronites and Anglicans ? with a Moslem representative as well. Evangelicals in Israel were excluded from this new work.

Moran Zelikovich, Ynet, Oct 7, 2006

A previously unknown Muslim group calling itself "The Army of Guidance" pledged on Tuesday to strike at Christian targets in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for recent remarks by the pope deemed offensive by many Muslims.

In a lecture in Germany last week, Pope Benedict XVI cited a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."

In response, St. Perfidious, a 1,400-year-old Greek Orthodox church in Gaza, was lightly damaged Friday in an attack by unknown assailants.

AP, Sep 19, 2006

Unknown assailants attacked two churches in Rafidia village west of the West Bank city of Nablus late on Friday at night.

The first attack targeted a Protestant church at midnight, the church was hit with several firebombs. Several hours later, more cocktail bombs hit the Greek Orthodox Church in the village, both churches were damaged, but no injuries were reported.

Ghassan Bannoura, Saed Bannoura - International Middle East Media Center, & Agencies - Saturday, 16 September 2006

Palestinian gunmen today attacked and set fire to the Young Men's Christian Association headquarters in Qalqiliya, a large West Bank city controlled by Hamas.

Local government sources identified the attackers as members of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups, saying the identities of the gunmen are "well known" to Qalqiliya's security forces, which are controlled by the Hamas government.

WorldNet Daily, Sep 9, 2006

In its extreme form, the Christian Zionist program identifies the Gospel with "the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism" and is "detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel", say Jerusalem bishops in a hard-hitting statement.

The statement, signed by Catholic Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Michel Sabbah (pictured), and leaders of the Syrian Orthodox, Episcopal and the Evangelical Lutheran churches in Jerusalem, directs its attack at a belief among some Christians that the defence of the State of Israel is in accordance with Biblical prophecy.

Catholic News, Zenit, Aug 30, 2006