Palestinian educator Dr. Maria Khoury geared up for the winter chill with what was at the time a meaningless purchase: a black silk scarf with silver stripes to drape around her neck.

But now, on her daily excursions from the West Bank's Taiba to nearby Ramallah, the scarf serves as a political symbol of the changing times.

"Since Hamas took over, I cover my head in Ramallah," she says. "I don't feel comfortable."

In the largely cosmopolitan Ramallah, though they comprise some 10 percent of the population, Christians are becoming less and less visible.

LAUREN GELFOND FELDINGER, the Jerusalem Post, Feb 23, 2006

An evangelical pastor and an Orthodox rabbi, both from Texas, have apparently persuaded leading Baptist preacher Jerry Falwell that Jews can get to heaven without being converted to Christianity.

Televangelist John Hagee and Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg, whose Cornerstone Church and Rodfei Sholom congregations are based in San Antonio, told The Jerusalem Post that Falwell had adopted Hagee's innovative belief in what Christians refer to as "dual covenant" theology.

This creed, which runs counter to mainstream evangelism, maintains that the Jewish people has a special relationship to God through the revelation at Sinai and therefore does not need "to go through Christ or the Cross" to get to heaven.

Ilan Chaim, The Jerusalem Post, March 1, 2006

A leading US evangelist is forming an umbrella organization under which all pro-Israel Christians in America can speak as one in support of the Jewish state.

Pastor John C. Hagee of San Antonio, Texas, is to launch Christians United for Israel (CUFI) at an invitation-only "Summit on Israel" next Tuesday at his Cornerstone Church.

By Ilan Haim, The Jerusalem Post, Feb 2, 2006

While Evangelicals are talking about forming an umbrella organization under which all pro-Israel Christians in America can speak as one in support of the Jewish state, Catholics are trying to listen to the plight of Palestinian Christians.

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington, D.C., is taking an increased interest in the desperate plight of Christians in the Holy Land -- to the point of politely and privately asking for help from President Bush. Immediately at stake is the West Bank village of Aboud, whose Christian roots go back two millennia, and which now is threatened by Israel's security barrier.

BY ROBERT NOVAK, Chicago Sun Times, Feb 16, 2006

On Friday night, February 3, militants placed an explosive device at the door of the Bible Society in Gaza. Around 11 p.m., the bomb exploded, destroying both the steel and glass doors. The bookshop was littered by the nails and sharp metal contents which were included in the explosive device. At the time, nobody was inside the shop. Workers at the Bible shop began cleanup on Saturday and installed new doors.

Open Doors Press Release, Feb 14, 2006

The main ministry of Southern Baptists In Israel is related to the "Baptist Village" - The Village, originally an orphanage on the Yarkon River just outside Tel Aviv, built and leased baseball fields as an overture to the community.

Irin Carmon, from Anniston Star, Aug 14, 2005

This week, the Catholic Bishops' Synod in the Middle East has appointed Father Elias Chacour for the position of the Greek Catholic Bishop of Israel.

Father Chacour is mainly known in the west for his book ?Blood Brothers?. This book continues to fascinate readers from around the globe. It has been translated to 28 languages and has entered the private rooms of powerful politicians as well as the poor dwellings of refugees.

Chacour, Elias and David Hazard. Blood Brothers: The Unforgettable Story of a Palestinian Christian Working For Peace in Israel. Foreword by James A Baker, former US Secretary of State. Grand Rapids: Chosen Books, 2003.

Yohanna Katanacho, Special for Come and See, Feb 12, 2006

The Awana program at the only evangelical church in Gaza is extending God?s love, truth and grace to kids and families in this volatile region.

By Deann Alford in Gaza City, Feb 11, 2006

The Vatican and the Catholic Bishops' Synod on Wednesday appointed for the first time an Israeli citizen to preside over Israel's Greek Catholic community.

Palestinian Priest Elias Chacour is the first Israeli citizen to be appointed to the position. This is also the first time in 200 years a Palestinian has been appointed. Until now, ministers from foreign countries, particularly from Lebanon, were appointed bishop for the Greek Melkite Church.

By Jacky Khoury, Haaretz, Feb 8, 2006