Arafat, 75 was flown from Ramallah to a Paris hospital for treatment of an undisclosed blood disorder and was announced that he had fallen into a coma Nov. 3.

At Ramallah's Holy Family Catholic Church, Father Ibrahim Hijazin acknowledged that one of the main concerns of Christians at the moment is how Islamic groups will react in the face of a power vacuum within the Palestinian National Authority.

By Judith Sudilovsky, Catholic News Service, Nov 8, 2004

A yeshiva student who spat at the Armenian archbishop in Israel and at a 17th-century cross during last week's procession marking the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem's Old City has met with heads of the Armenian community and apologized for his actions, police said Sunday.

The Knesset Interior Committee held an emergency meeting to discuss the harassment of Christian clergymen in Jerusalem. Committee chairman MK Yuri Stern said the content and the tone of the way in which Christianity is mentioned in schools must be changed.

By Amiram Barkat, Haaretz, Oct 18, 2004

The church will be built on land donated by the emir of Qatar, in a residential district of the capital, Doha. The emir has also donated land to Anglicans, Copts, Orthodox and Protestants to build their own churches.

Although Islam is the majority religion, the country has some 60,000 Catholic immigrants, especially from the Philippines, Palestine, Lebanon, and India.

Zenit, October 12, 2004

The Armenian archbishop in Israel was questioned under warning by police yesterday after he slapped a yeshiva student during a procession marking the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem's Old City. The archbishop slapped the student after the latter spat at the cross the Armenians were carrying and at Manougian himself.

In an editorial in Haaretz, Israel's Elite Paper, they write: "The Police and the The Interior Ministry did not make an effort to prevent the disgraceful phenomenon of spitting at priests and at the crosses they carry. That negligence, just like the bullying, is a disgrace to the state of the Jewish people, which was persecuted through the generations because of its religion and customs.

By Amiram Barkat and Editorial, Haaretz, October 11 and 12, 2004

For the First time in its history, the European Baptist Federation (EBF) held its annual meeting in the Middle East. The meeting was held in Beirut between September 22 and 26. It was an opportunity for Baptist Leaders in Europe to show their support for Middle Eastern Baptists

Special for Come and See, Baptist World Alliance Web site, Oct 11, 2004

The strange alliance between parts of the Evangelical Church and Israel's racist parties continues to produce embarrassing situations. While Pat Robertson declared that he met Israelis who are saying that Jesus is their Messiah, the "Christian Embassy" decided not to distribute tapes of Robertson's speech to the press, so it does not upset Israeli officials. The co-chair of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus, Yuri Shtern of the right-wing National Union Party, said he was "very upset".

By Forward, JUDY LASH BALINT, October 8, 2004

Yohanna Katanacho is a Scholar from Palestine studying for his PHD at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. He writes a summery about the Christian Palestinian Arabs in the prestigious "Gap", published by John Stott Ministries.

"Instead of mourning dwindling numbers we should focus on presenting Christ to Muslims and to Jews, formulating an Arabic gospel that highlights the love of God, especially to enemies".

Special for Come and See, October 5, 2004

Over 4,000 Christians from 80 Countries will arrive in Jerusalem over the next week to take part in the 25th ?Silver Anniversary? celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.

The "Christian" Embassy claims to represent Evangelical Christians in the World. At the same time, it ignores the presence of Christians in Israel and Palestine and supports Israel's racist parties. This year's conference will feature Pat Robertson - a well known figure in Evangelical Circles that advocate Israel - And for the first time, Brother Yun from China.

News Source - Arutz Sheva, Sep 27, 2004

What a Shame: "There was lots of hitting going on. Police were hit, monks were hit ... there were people with bloodied faces," said a witness in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, reputed to be Golgotha where Christ was crucified, and the site of the tomb where he was buried.

Allyn Fisher-Ilan in Jerusalem, Tuesday September 28, 2004, The Guardian