By secular standards, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa has done spectacularly well in his career. Even from the perspective of the Catholic establishment, Pizzaballa is an unparalleled success story. In fact, being appointed custodian of the Holy Land at the age of 39 is quite a feat by any yardstick: In practice, Pizzaballa is the man in charge of all the Christian holy places in the Middle East.

By Lili Galili, Haaretz, Dec 24, 2005

If you travel around the Arab villages and towns in Galilee these days, you will be surprised to see billboards with the sign ?Jesus Christ is the Feast? (Jesus is the Reason of the Season) - This is the name of the campaign that the Life agape Ministry is leading with the cooperation of around 50 churches (Baptists, Nazarenes, Assemblies of God and Brethren). This campaign has been launched everywhere in the newspapers, billboards and the Internet.

Special for "Come and See", Dec 23, 2005

If pilgrims worshipping in the Church of the Nativity look up at the roof, they will see a battlefield threatening the future of one of Christendom's most holy sites.

Squabbling over crucial roof repairs between the three Christian communities who share custodianship of Jesus's birthplace is endangering the 1,500-year-old basilica.

By Tim Butcher, The Telegraph

They have come to Israel from Russia and Ukraine. They are more numerous than the members of the historical Churches, but they are not included in any tally. Observant Jews, Orthodox Christians, and Catholics are all competing for them.

by Sandro Magister, Chiesa, Dec 13, 2005

Law states life of terminally ill person who does not wish to continue living will not be extended artificially; health minister: ?This is one of most important laws passed by Knesset. It represents major moral value for terminally ill and their families?

Ilan Marciano, Ynetnews, Dec 6, 2005

The founder of the US first Arabic Christian TV channel says the programming is attracting phone inquiries from curious Muslims.

The Southern California-based channel Alkarma, whose name means "the vineyard" in Arabic, premiered Oct. 17. It is the brainchild of Samuel Estefanos, an Egyptian-born businessman.

The channel gets 10 to 15 calls a day from Arabic speakers with Muslim surnames who are intrigued that Alkarma would give away a movie known as the "Jesus Film" and other materials.

By Julia Duin, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, November 26, 2005

The Jerusalem-based Palestinian human rights lawyer and peace activist writes about the unique situation of Christian Arabs:

"Those who expected Arab Christians of siding with the 'Christian' West, for the outsiders, were consistently proven mistaken. To the contrary, the unique position of Arab Christians, with their knowledge and understanding of the West have always been used to promote the interests of the Arab world and press for its positions at every turn of the road".

Jonathan Kuttab, Al-Hayat, Nov 7, 2005

Bethlehem, a place of Christian pilgrimage for centuries, will soon be encircled by Israel's security barrier. Is the town to become no more than a museum among ancient shrines? John Harris meets the people campaigning to keep it alive

Saturday November 5, 2005, The Guardian

Senior officials in the U.S. Catholic Church are "following with interest" the meeting that took place between President Moshe Katsav and Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Thursday.

The officials knew Katsav would raise the issue of the unfinished negotiations between Israel and the Holy See on the status of Church assets in the Holy Land. The American Church officials wish to learn whether they will be required to once more intervene in the negotiations in order to get the desired results.

This long and involved story can be summarized very briefly: Since establishing diplomatic ties some 12 years ago, Israel and the Vatican have been unable to tie up the few loose ends in their agreements, which have lasted so long primarily because of foot-dragging by successive Israeli governments.

Shmuel Rosner, Chief U.S. Correspondent, Haaretz, Nov 17, 2005