The Church of England was on a collision course with Jewish leaders last night after it voted to disinvest in companies profiting from the illegal occupation of Palestinian land.
The General Synod overwhelmingly backed calls for the Church Commissioners to remove funds from such firms, particularly its ?2.2 million investment in Caterpillar, which manufactures tractors used to demolish Palestinian homes.
The vote, which was supported by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is hugely symbolic, even if the Commissioners refuse to comply.
By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent, Daily Telegraph, 07/02/2006
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FEATURES \ Jan 30, 2006
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?It makes me feel like I?m right in a biblical setting,? said Mrs. Carter. With her daughter Amy and son Jeff, she was wending her way through the living reconstruction of first-century Nazareth Village yesterday, on her first visit to the site she has supported for years. Villagers in authentic costumes were hoeing around olive trees as the farmer worked his way through a flock of sheep to carry a new-born lamb toward her. The Carter family and entourage were enthralled, and stroked its silky white face. Even the security service personnel pressed closer.
BY Glenn Edward Witmer, Menno Jerusalem, Jan 28, 2006
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PALESTINE \ Jan 29, 2006 4039
There is widespread unease but no certainty that situation of Christians will deteriorate in the Palestinian territories. Church authorities will seek reconfirmation of the February 15, 2000, Basic Agreement between the Holy See and the Palestine Liberation Organisation that guarantees religious freedom, upholds established Church rights and protects the Holy Sites.
?A disaster, Hamas?s victory is a disaster for Christians,? said an agitated K. M., a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem after poll results from yesterday?s elections showed the Islamist party gaining 77 of the 132 seats in the new Palestinian legislative council.
AsiaNews, Jan 28, 2006
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ISRAEL \ Jan 11, 2006 2454
Tourism Minister Avraham Hirchson has shunned US evangelical leader Pat Robertson shortly before the two were to sign a major funding deal for the Galilee Christian Heritage Center after Robertson suggested that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was a punishment from God for the Gaza Strip withdrawal, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
"The minister has very strong views on this and cannot accept what was said," Tourism Ministry spokesman Ido Hartuv said. "We reconsidered the deal and realized that we cannot sign with Robertson or anyone who supports his views."
By AVI KRAWITZ, The Jerusalem Post, Jan 11, 2006
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JORDAN \ Jan 10, 2006 5175
Jordan's King Abdullah II, whose interfaith efforts over the past year impressed Catholics, Jews and Muslims alike, will have a supporting role at this year's National Prayer Breakfast, according to a key aide.
Although he would not be the first Muslim to speak at the annual event at the Washington Hilton, he will have a bigger role than his predecessors, said Joseph Lumbard, special adviser to the king for interfaith affairs.
By Julia Duin, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, January 9, 2006
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OPINION \ Jan 10, 2006 4295
A Palestinian Christian writes in an Israeli Paper about Pat Robertson's comments that God is punishing Ariel Sharon with his illness.
This article does not represent the opinion of "Come and See", but we bring it untouched, since it represents the thinking of many Christian Arabs, and shows how much such comments can be a stumbling block for Arabs and Jews alike to come to Christ
Ray Hanania, Ynet News, Jan 10, 2006
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OTHER \ Jan 06, 2006 4592
Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for "dividing God's land."
"God considers this land to be his," Robertson said on his TV program "The 700 Club." "You read the Bible and he says `This is my land,' and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, `No, this is mine.'"
Sharon, who ordered Israel's withdrawal from Gaza last year, suffered a severe stroke on Wednesday.
SONJA BARISIC, The Associated Press, Jan 6, 2006
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PALESTINE \ Jan 05, 2006 5785
Two thousand years after Jesus came to Taybeh, the dwindling population of this tiny West Bank community is determined to survive and pass on to future generations their unique heritage: the last all-Christian village in the Holy Land.
The villagers of Taybeh are fiercely proud of their Christian heritage. In the entire Holy Land, there are only about 200,000 Christians, less than 2 percent of the population -- 130,000 in Israel and 70,000 in the West Bank and Gaza. Other Christian towns such as Bethlehem and Ramallah now have Muslim majorities, but by strict tradition, only Christians may live in Taybeh or buy property there.
San Fransisco Chronicle, Dec 25, 2005
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OPINION \ Dec 29, 2005 6435
Pastor of Nachalat Yeshua Messianic Congregation in Beersheba writes to Israeli National Paper the Jerusalem Post in light of the events that took place last Saterday, December 24, when his congregation was mobbed by a crowd of ultra-Orthodox extremists.
"While extremists controlled the direction and tone of the demonstration, other participants seemed ashamed of the violent behavior. The "we" here are Messianic Jews and gentiles, including Arabs, who believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah, and the one who saves us from our sins"
Howard Bass, The Jerusalem Post, Dec 29, 2005
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