26 dec 2019
An extremist Jewish settler on Wednesday stormed the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem carrying a big knife.
According to eyewitnesses, the Church was filled with worshipers and foreign pilgrims marking the occasion of Christmas when a knife-wielding settler stormed it.
The settler caused great panic among the Christian worshipers at the holy site.
Luckily, no one was hurt by the settler, who was arrested by police officers and escorted out of the holy site.
According to eyewitnesses, the Church was filled with worshipers and foreign pilgrims marking the occasion of Christmas when a knife-wielding settler stormed it.
The settler caused great panic among the Christian worshipers at the holy site.
Luckily, no one was hurt by the settler, who was arrested by police officers and escorted out of the holy site.
24 dec 2019
Father Atallah Hanna on Monday accused the Israeli occupation of being responsible for the poisoning incident that happened to him last week.
“What happened could be an attempt to assassinate me or keep me sick for the rest of my life. The effects of the poisonous substance are dangerous, especially to the nervous system,” Hanna, Archbishop of the Palestinian Orthodox Church in Occupied Jerusalem, told the official Jordanian TV channel.
He said that a Palestinian team embarked on ascertaining the type and source of the substance he had inhaled.
Father Hanna was rushed to a hospital in Jordan last week after he inhaled a chemical substance that had been sprayed by the Israeli occupation authority near the patriarchate in the holy city.
“What happened could be an attempt to assassinate me or keep me sick for the rest of my life. The effects of the poisonous substance are dangerous, especially to the nervous system,” Hanna, Archbishop of the Palestinian Orthodox Church in Occupied Jerusalem, told the official Jordanian TV channel.
He said that a Palestinian team embarked on ascertaining the type and source of the substance he had inhaled.
Father Hanna was rushed to a hospital in Jordan last week after he inhaled a chemical substance that had been sprayed by the Israeli occupation authority near the patriarchate in the holy city.
23 dec 2019
British street artist Banksy has brought a sombre Christmas spirit to the hotel he founded, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, with a nativity scene evoking the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Middle east Monitor reported.
Dubbed “Scar of Bethlehem”, the display features a miniature Jesus, Mary and Joseph under a rendition of Israel’s concrete West Bank barrier punctured by bullet holes, the largest of which resembles a star over the manger.
It is located in The Walled Off Hotel, which is adjacent to the real barrier/wall, which the secretive Banksy opened in 2017.
“Christmas (is) known (for) the Star of Bethlehem, that led people to the birthplace of Jesus,” hotel manager Wisam Salsa said, adding;
“You see there is a scar, there is a hole on the wall that marks the wall and the life in Bethlehem how it is today.”
Israel says the barrier that cuts through the West Bank is a bulwark against Palestinian suicide bombers. Palestinians see it as a symbol of oppression in Israeli-occupied land they want for a state.
Arnaud Lucien, a tourist from France, saw hope in the art.
“It’s a scene, a biblical scene which is turned political,” Lucien said. “And the message is very interesting because the message of peace is done for Palestinians and Israelis, and I think it’s a very nice piece of art.”
In the centre of Bethlehem, which is revered as the birthplace of Jesus, pilgrims and tourists from all over the world were flocking to Manger Square in the build-up to Christmas on December 25.
Many posed for photographs in front of a large crib and Christmas tree erected in front of the Church of the Nativity, eating candy floss and buying red and white hats from a Palestinian dressed as Santa Claus.
Christians make up around 1% of the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Dubbed “Scar of Bethlehem”, the display features a miniature Jesus, Mary and Joseph under a rendition of Israel’s concrete West Bank barrier punctured by bullet holes, the largest of which resembles a star over the manger.
It is located in The Walled Off Hotel, which is adjacent to the real barrier/wall, which the secretive Banksy opened in 2017.
“Christmas (is) known (for) the Star of Bethlehem, that led people to the birthplace of Jesus,” hotel manager Wisam Salsa said, adding;
“You see there is a scar, there is a hole on the wall that marks the wall and the life in Bethlehem how it is today.”
Israel says the barrier that cuts through the West Bank is a bulwark against Palestinian suicide bombers. Palestinians see it as a symbol of oppression in Israeli-occupied land they want for a state.
Arnaud Lucien, a tourist from France, saw hope in the art.
“It’s a scene, a biblical scene which is turned political,” Lucien said. “And the message is very interesting because the message of peace is done for Palestinians and Israelis, and I think it’s a very nice piece of art.”
In the centre of Bethlehem, which is revered as the birthplace of Jesus, pilgrims and tourists from all over the world were flocking to Manger Square in the build-up to Christmas on December 25.
Many posed for photographs in front of a large crib and Christmas tree erected in front of the Church of the Nativity, eating candy floss and buying red and white hats from a Palestinian dressed as Santa Claus.
Christians make up around 1% of the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
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Thousands of people went out to the streets of Bethlehem, to watch the annual Christmas parade touring Palestinian cities.
The parade was launched on Friday evening, with the sound of religious hymns, heading toward Nativity Square, in the presence of official and legal personalities, in addition to families, children, and tourists. The parade administration confirmed that it is returning today, after an absence of three years, as it seeks to revive Christmas, starting with the cave, the shepherds, Santa, and the games factory, as it departs from Bethlehem to roam several Palestinian cities, including Ramallah, Zababdeh, and Jericho. |
Ramzi Khoury, head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Follow-up on Churches Affairs, said that the Presidential Committee worked in cooperation with various authorities, headed by governorates, municipalities, and security services, to restore the convoy’s work after a three-year hiatus.
Khoury affirmed, in an interview with PNN, that the glorious birthday celebration contributes to the transfer of the Palestinian religious and national message to the whole world, and proves to the world that they are a peaceful people who love life and adhere to its sanctities.
International tourists also attended the parade, to send the world a message of love, joy, and peace.
For his part, governor of Bethlehem, Kamel Hamid, said: “The Palestinian leadership is facing the American-backed Israeli attack against our people, which is the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the transfer of the American embassy to it, the attempts to Judaize Jerusalem, considering the settlements as part of Israel, attacking the Al-Aqsa and the churches, and attempts to eliminate the patriarchs in Jerusalem, continued home demolitions and detention, in contravention of international law.”
Khoury affirmed, in an interview with PNN, that the glorious birthday celebration contributes to the transfer of the Palestinian religious and national message to the whole world, and proves to the world that they are a peaceful people who love life and adhere to its sanctities.
International tourists also attended the parade, to send the world a message of love, joy, and peace.
For his part, governor of Bethlehem, Kamel Hamid, said: “The Palestinian leadership is facing the American-backed Israeli attack against our people, which is the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the transfer of the American embassy to it, the attempts to Judaize Jerusalem, considering the settlements as part of Israel, attacking the Al-Aqsa and the churches, and attempts to eliminate the patriarchs in Jerusalem, continued home demolitions and detention, in contravention of international law.”
20 dec 2019
The Church of Scotland, today, called on Israel to affirm the right of Palestinian Christians in the blockaded Gaza Strip to visit their holy sites and families, during the Christmas holiday.
“At this time of year, when Christians from across the world will be looking to, and visiting, Bethlehem and Jerusalem, as they celebrate the birth of Jesus into our world, the Church of Scotland is deeply concerned that Gazan Christians have not yet been granted permission by Israel to visit their holy sites in these places,” the organization said, in a press release.
Around 800 Christians live amongst a population of two million, in the blockaded Gaza Strip. Many of Gaza’s Christians have family members living in Bethlehem and East Jerusalem.
Last year, Israel granted permits to some of Gaza’s Christians, mainly the oldest and youngest members of the community, to visit the holy places in the Jerusalem and the West Bank. This year, it said it will not grant such permits to any member.
“The Church of Scotland affirms the right of the indigenous Christian community of Gaza to be able to visit their holy sites. It therefore calls on Israel to grant permission so that they may be able to visit and worship freely during this special season of the Christian year,” said the statement, according to WAFA.
The Moderator, Rt Rev Colin Sinclair, said: “Just as with so many families around the world who take the chance of this season to meet and spend time together, so it is a very special opportunity for those from Gaza to meet with their wider family members, to have time together, and an opportunity to celebrate the coming of the Christ as a child in Bethlehem.
On behalf of the Church of Scotland, I pray that our brothers and sisters will have such an opportunity this year and urge the government of Israel to grant the necessary permits.”
“At this time of year, when Christians from across the world will be looking to, and visiting, Bethlehem and Jerusalem, as they celebrate the birth of Jesus into our world, the Church of Scotland is deeply concerned that Gazan Christians have not yet been granted permission by Israel to visit their holy sites in these places,” the organization said, in a press release.
Around 800 Christians live amongst a population of two million, in the blockaded Gaza Strip. Many of Gaza’s Christians have family members living in Bethlehem and East Jerusalem.
Last year, Israel granted permits to some of Gaza’s Christians, mainly the oldest and youngest members of the community, to visit the holy places in the Jerusalem and the West Bank. This year, it said it will not grant such permits to any member.
“The Church of Scotland affirms the right of the indigenous Christian community of Gaza to be able to visit their holy sites. It therefore calls on Israel to grant permission so that they may be able to visit and worship freely during this special season of the Christian year,” said the statement, according to WAFA.
The Moderator, Rt Rev Colin Sinclair, said: “Just as with so many families around the world who take the chance of this season to meet and spend time together, so it is a very special opportunity for those from Gaza to meet with their wider family members, to have time together, and an opportunity to celebrate the coming of the Christ as a child in Bethlehem.
On behalf of the Church of Scotland, I pray that our brothers and sisters will have such an opportunity this year and urge the government of Israel to grant the necessary permits.”
