The newly elected Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, submitted a petition to the High Court on Wednesday in which he and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchy accused the government of Israel of making its recognition of the patriarch conditional on his signing of "questionable" real estate deals.

The petition claims that the Israeli government is applying pressure on Theophilos to approve deals that the Patriarchy had signed, by means of its former financial manager Nikolaus Papadimas, who had received power of attorney from the previous patriarch Ireneos I, to sell assets to foreign companies representing the right-wing settler organization Ateret Kohanim.

The petition demands that the government unconditionally recognize Theophilos, who was elected last August, as Ireneos was simultaneously ousted from his position.

By Arnon Regular, Haaretz, Oct 27, 2005

One hundred years ago, Alexandria was a cosmopolitan city that was home to Muslims, Christians and Jews.

Over the past week, Alexandria has been home to an ugly hatred that spurred Muslim rioters to rampage through Christian neighbourhoods, attacking churches and shops. This in turn caused a Christian candidate in next month?s parliamentary elections to withdraw and left many Christians scared to leave their homes.

Four people died and a nun was stabbed in the worst religious violence in Egypt in five years.

Mona Eltahawy, Octover 27, 2005

Yazan Kahtan Haddadin, a student at The Amman Baptist School in Jordan, was recently recognized by Jordan?s Queen Rania as one of the most outstanding young scholars in the world for his academic achievements.

Brian Barlow, a Southern Baptist and a Bartow native, heads the international school where Haddadin received the award for his high score on an English test (IGCSE) administered by The British Council and University of Cambridge International Examinations.

The awards are an outcome of the long-established partnership between the British Council, the University of Cambridge International Examinations and the Ministry of Education in Jordan, according to a news release.

Flordia Baptist Witness, Oct 13, 2005

A holiday in Palestine is never going to be easy but, finds Andrew Mueller, the rewards for tourists and locals alike can be huge.

To get to the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, I have to negotiate a military checkpoint. Opposite the church marking the site of the Nativity, a building flies a huge poster of a man infamous, in some circles, as a terrorist.

The Observer, Sunday, Oct 23, 2005

Thousands of police manned barricades around Christian churches in Egypt's second largest city Saturday, a day after Muslim rioters attacked churches and shops, leaving four people dead in the country's worst religious violence in five years.

The Daily Herlad, Oct 23, 2005

Director and President of the Sabeel Center in Jerusalem, Rev. Canon Naim Ateek opened the 2005 Chicago Sabeel Conference at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

The theme for the conference, ?Jerusalem: will justice and peace embrace?? focused on the struggles Palestinians face living under Israeli military occupation; and the ways in which Jews, Christians and Muslims can stand together for human rights and social justice.

Sonia Nettnin, Amin, Oct 10, 2005

Dwight and Emma Baker, emeritus missionaries of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board (IMB), have donated 100,000 USD toward the purchase of property in Nazareth, Israel, owned by the IMB.

Dr and Mrs. Baker, from Duncanville, Texas, originally purchased the land on behalf of the IMB in the 1950's and built the house and used it for their residence. Dr. Baker served as pastor of the Nazareth Baptist Church, director of village evangelism (church planting) and a Bible teacher in Nazareth and the Galilee.

Special For "Come and See", Sep 27, 2005

Last week, Moslems from the village of Deir Jarrar broke into houses in the Christian Village of Taibe and stole furniture, jewelry and electrical appliances. They threw Molotov cocktails at some buildings and poured kerosene on others, then torched them.

Usually, the Christians remain silent when such incidents happen, for the sake of keeping the good long relations with their Moslem neighbors.

While Palestinian Christians remain silent, some Jews enjoy telling the story of the Moslems beating the Christians. The following is an article by Daniel Pipes, a right wing American Jewish columnist. Even though Christian Arabs may find this article irritating, it is important to tell the story of Taibe and learn the lessons, just before no more Christians are left in the West Bank.

Daniel Pipes, New York Sun, Sep 13, 2005

While Israel was busy preparing for withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, in one of the most complicated logistic assignments, a group of 350 Athletes were meeting in a Hotel near the Sea of Galilee and preparing for another complicated assignment. These Athletes were planning their project to reach out to Arab and Jewish kids through Sports, both in Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Special For "Come and See", Sep 15, 2005