It is a beautiful Autumn day here by the Sea of Galilee. The sun, though still warm, is not relentless as it is much of the time here, and the air is still and clear. This morning, I sat at a home with colleagues from the Scots Hotel with one of the staff whose motherContinue reading “Sitting with loss”
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Remember their names
Graham and Anne Bryce https://www.justgiving.com/page/brycesonbikes are cycling from Glasgow in Scotland, hoping to reach Bethlehem in the occupied Palestinian territory. They will pause in Greece and assess the current situation before deciding how to continue. As they cycle, each day they post a short reflection on Tiktok and Instagram where they read out the namesContinue reading “Remember their names”
Tell My Story
On October 11th last year I was meant to travel to Gaza along with my colleagues Stewart Gillan, minister of St Andrew’s Jerusalem and Doug Dicks, our Ecumenical Associate, who has worked here in Israel/Palestine for many years with the Presbyterian Church of the USA. The Department of Services to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR), part ofContinue reading “Tell My Story”
The Power of One…
Today at St George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem the funeral will take place of Salwa Duaibis a Palestinian Christian who has worked tirelessly with the organization Military Court Watch (MCW). I met her briefly at a recent garden party at the British Consulate in Jerusalem. She was lovely. Very kind, very compassionate, and very tired. RevContinue reading “The Power of One…”
Making a Statement
On 13th August 2024, the Israel Palestine Committee, carrying out the instructions of the 2024 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, wrote to Rt Hon David Lammy, the new foreign secretary. https://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/news-and-events/news/articles/church-writes-to-foreign-secretary-on-israel-gaza-war There is always pressure for churches to be reacting and responding to world events and events at home. I remember when IContinue reading “Making a Statement”
Umm al-Khair II
Following my last post, I thought I should update you. Despite international attention and efforts by local supporters, the persecution of the villagers of Umm Al-Khair continues. The demolition I told you about destroyed eight buildings and left over thirty people, including women and children and babies, without a roof. Observers such as those ofContinue reading “Umm al-Khair II”
‘Please act now’
I’ve never been to Umm Al-Kheir, but I’ve heard a lot about it. One of my predecessors as Church of Scotland mission partner, Rev John McCulloch, went regularly to sit with the Bedouin of the village, to take small gifts for the children, and small sums of money. My colleague Rev Dr Stewart Gillan hasContinue reading “‘Please act now’”
Only Compassion…
This is Avi Dabush, executive director of Rabbis for Human Rights. On October 7th he and his family hid in their safe room in Kibbutz Nirrim for eight hours when Hamas attacked. He thought, ‘maybe this is the end’. A Guardian article says ‘he speaks with authority when he says the October 7th attacks haveContinue reading “Only Compassion…”
The Path of Peace
Bilha and Yakovi Inon, parents of Maoz Inon and his four siblings, were murdered by Hamas on October 7th 2023. When he speaks (and he has been doing a lot of speaking) Maoz describes how three days after his parents were killed he had a vision. He says, ‘I woke up at night, my entireContinue reading “The Path of Peace”
Shared grief; shared hope
Yesterday in Israel was Memorial Day. It is a solemn period of reflection, commemorating all Israelis who have died since 1948 whether in war or in the ongoing attrition that is ‘normal’ life here. Israelis are remembered, but Palestinians are not. Since 1948 the number of Palestinian dead has outstripped the number of Israeli deadContinue reading “Shared grief; shared hope”
Stepping out of the boat... 