Nearly 1.8 million of the 3 million tourists who came to Israel last year were Christians, the ministry said. In 2000, 1.5 million Christians came. The number of Christian visitors from Eastern Europe and Africa was up dramatically in 2008 compared to 2000, while the figures for Western Europe and Asia fell.

ETGAR LEFKOVITS, Jerusalem Post, Apr 3, 2009

Recently, I caught word that an exciting new educational initiative in Israel between the Messianic community and Arab Christians was underway involving up to 3,000 students from K-12 schools through college and seminary. Botrus Mansour, head of the Nazareth Baptist School, filled me in about the details. He told me by email:

On Monday, Feb. 23, 45 Arab and Jewish representatives from all the Messianic and Evangelical educational organizations in Israel met at the Israel College of the Bible (ICB) in Jerusalem and unanimously approved setting up the Israel Education Forum (IEF). (Right photo, left to right, educators Bryson Arthur (Nazareth Seminary), Erez Soref (ICB), Yohanna Katanacho (Galilee Bible, Bethlehem Bible colleges) at the kickoff event.)

By Tim Morgan, Christianity Today, March 9, 2009

The vast majority of Israeli Jews does not have negative feelings toward Christians living in Israel, but nearly the same proportion believes the state should not allow land to be used for constructing new churches in Jerusalem, according to a study published Thursday.

Nadav Shargai, Haaretz, Feb 20, 2009

Leading Christian and Muslim clergymen are calling on Pope Benedict XVI to postpone his planned visit to Israel, which is scheduled for May, in protest of a comedy skit seen on the late-night variety television show hosted by comedian Lior Shlein.

In a press conference held on Wednesday in Nazareth, religious leaders denounced Shlein for a spoof entitled "Like a virgin" which depicts two characters who play Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

In the skit, Mary is heard saying she had slept with many men and that she was not a virgin at all.

Special For "Come and See", Feb 19, 2009

Three weeks of Israel-Hamas fighting left Gaza's beleaguered Christian community beginning 2009 in their worst situation since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.

"We as Palestinian Christians are very saddened to see those on both sides killed from bombing and rockets lobbed back and forth, but Israel has exaggerated their response," said Hanna Massad, exiled pastor of Gaza Baptist Church, the only evangelical congregation in the 25-mile coastal strip. "We weep for the Israelis who have died, but the suffering is much more on the Gazans."

Jeremy Weber, Feb 10, 2009, Christianity Today Web edition

The Old Testament is a Jewish book and a Christian one at the same time. Palestinian Christians struggle to reconcile these paradoxical identities of the Old Testament. On the one hand, the Old Testament belongs to the church. On the other hand, it has been politicized and employed to support oppressive violent acts. This tension in understanding the Old Testament led to organizing a conference on reading the Old Testament in Bethlehem. (Feb 10 – 13, 2009)

Special For Come and See, Feb 14, 2009

Senior Haaretz editir Akiva Eldar interviews Former US president Jimmy Carter - in light of new American President and the Israeli Elections.

"I've known the history of the Jewish people, the Hebrew people, the Israelites, and I've taught these things every Sunday since I was 18 years old. So I'm deeply committed as a Christian to seeing the covenant with Abraham fulfilled," says Carter, noting that peace in the Middle East is also "a key to tremendously reducing the level of animosity against my own country, and reducing the commitment to violence through terrorist acts."

Akiva Eldar, Haaretz, Feb 13, 2009

Benedict XVI's preparations for his trip to the Holy Land are under way, as he himself confirmed today in a meeting with a Jewish delegation from the United States.

The Pope was visited today in the Vatican by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Zenit.org, Feb 12, 2009

In January, Patty Shelly, professor of Bible and religion at Bethel College in North Newton, and Doug Miller, professor of biblical and religious studies at Tabor College, Hillsboro, had “the unique experience,” as Shelly put it, of traveling with students to a country at war.

By Melanie Zuercher, Bethel College News Archives., Feb 11, 2009