A keffiyeh. The media focussed on a keffiyeh which had been tucked at the last minute around the manger scene from Bethlehem which was blessed at the Vatican by the Pope on the 7th December 2024. And the manger and the keffiyeh and the baby were removed following representation from various lobby groups who claimedContinue reading “What’s in a Symbol?”
Tag Archives: Gaza War
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”
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…”
Reading the signs of the times
Dahlia Scheindlin is an Israeli pollster and commentator. A recent headline in Haaretz Newspaper would have confirmed many Israelis’ worst fears: Three-quarters of Palestinians Support Hamas’ Attack on October 7, says new poll. But one further word points to a much more nuanced analysis. The word ‘Why?’ The raw data (of a very small sample)Continue reading “Reading the signs of the times”
101 Days and counting…
Today is 101 days since hostilities erupted into the open with Hamas’ attack on southern Israel and the inevitable overwhelming response from the state of Israel. The toll of death and suffering and the fear that grips everyone involved in the conflict is hard to imagine, let alone describe. A brief dip into the 84Continue reading “101 Days and counting…”
Stepping out of the boat... 