Canon Naim Ateek, a Palestinian Anglican priest and the founder and director of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre in Jerusalem, will receive the 2006 John Nevin Sayre Award from the Peace Fellowship of the Episcopal Church in the United States. The award is named after a founding member of the U.S. branch of the Fellowship of Reconciliation

Sabeel is a movement of Palestinian Christians working with mainstream churches in North America and Europe to host regional and international conferences, witness trips to the Holy Land, and theological education.

Ekklesia, May 17, 2006

The Palestinian Bible Society's bookshop in Gaza reopened on Monday 3 April, after a five-week closure in response to terrorists' threats to bomb the building, reports Hanna Massad, pastor of Gaza Baptist Church.

Hanna's wife, Suhad, is the Bible Society bookshop's director. She said the bookshop reopened with permission from the Gaza Interior Ministry, over the objections of the building's owner.

Today was very special day for us after we confronted the pressure and the power of the kingdom of darkness face to face, especially in the last four days," Hanna wrote in an e-mail to prayer partners.

"We experienced the power of answered prayer. Thank you for praying with us and for us."

Open Doors Web site, April 7, 2006

Franciscan monks, German tourists and Filipino foreign workers crowded the Old City of Jerusalem's cobblestone streets and its ancient churches yesterday to celebrate Easter.

Thousands of pilgrims packed the narrow alleyways of the Old City to mark Jesus' resurrection - more visitors than in recent years, reflecting a downturn in Palestinian-Israeli violence that kept tourists away.

AP, April 16, 2006

Yosef Suleiman is an Israeli citizen and a resident of Haifa who has found himself in a difficult situation: He must choose between accepting the verdict of his religious court or the laws of Israel.

Suleiman, a Maronite Christian, wants a divorce, but cannot afford the alimony the Church ruled he should pay. He cannot appeal the ecclesiastical ruling, because the Maronite High Court is in Lebanon, an enemy country.

Yoav Stern, Haaretz, April 17, 2006

The Old Testament was written originally in Hebrew. So you might think that the millions of Hebrew-speaking youth in Israel would be able to read and understand it.

But HaGefen Publishing, a Christian publisher in Israel, has taken note of vast differences between the biblical Hebrew of the Old Testament and the modern Hebrew of today that make it very difficult for Israeli youth to understand the Bible. HaGefen is attempting to remedy the problem by publishing the first-ever translation of the Old Testament in modern Hebrew.

By David Roach, Baptist Press, April 7, 2006

Israeli President Moshe Katsav presented Dr. Ousama Moalem, the Physics teacher for the Nazareth Baptist School, an award for "Distinguished Teacher" in recognition of his efforts "in leading and giving instruction for both science and research projects". The committee that elected Dr. Moalem for this award was comprised of representatives from each of the following bodies: the Ministry of Education, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv University, Intel Ltd., the Museum of Science in Jerusalem, and others.

This is the first time such an award has been granted to an Arab.

Special for "Come and See", April 1, 2006

Hamas has announced that a Christian, who was designated tourism minister in the new government, will not be part of the government.

Tunous Abu ?Ita, a 57-year-old businessman from Bethlehem who was named the future tourism minister, excused himself from the government at the last minute and gave no reason for the sudden withdrawal. It is believed Abu ?Ita faced internal pressures that forced him to back down.

Meanwhile another Christian was appointed to the position of Tourism Minister ? Jooda George Jooda Morkus, a Coptic Christian Engineer from Bethlehem.

News agencies and Alquds, March 30, 2006

George Khoury is from Israel, but he is not a Jew.
Khoury is Arab, but he is not a Muslim.
He belongs to a Byzantine church, but is not Orthodox.
And the husband and father of three is a Catholic priest, but not a Roman Catholic one.

If all those labels are not confusing enough, the 51-year-old Khoury ? a Palestinian Christian who is a priest in the Greek Catholic Church ? is also a clinical psychologist who says there is really only one label that matters to him.

?Most importantly, I am a human being,? Khoury said.

Rapid City Journal, Jan 24, 2006

Denying a Jerusalem Post story that said he had embraced a ?dual covenant? theology, Southern Baptist pastor Jerry Falwell said March 1 that he believes all people, including Jews, ?must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to enter heaven.?

?I do not follow this teaching of ?dual covenant? theology and I believe it runs counter to the Gospel,? Falwell said in a statement posted on www.falwell.com. "I have been on record all 54 years of my ministry as being opposed to ?dual covenant' theology.?

Baptist Press Staff, March 1, 2006