This is my last Stepping Out of the Boat blog post. I am back in Scotland having said a bitter-sweet goodbye to colleagues and friends in Tiberias, Jerusalem and beyond. It is a momentous week for other much bigger reasons too. On 7th October the two-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on festival goers andContinue reading “Not done yet…”
Tag Archives: israel
Call for Peace
Pope Francis’ last plea for peace Many stories have been told about the piety and pastoral faithfulness of the late Pope Francis, but the story of his almost nightly conversations with Father Romanelli and the people of Holy Family Church in Gaza gives insight not only into Pope Francis and his priorities, but also makesContinue reading “Call for Peace”
Humanitarian Call for Ceasefire Now
‘Protect civilians. Facilitate aid. Release hostages. Renew a ceasefire.’ This is the final line in an unprecedented press release issued by heads of OCHA, UNICEF, UNOPS, UNWRA, WFP and WHO on 7th April 2025. The whole press statement makes really grim reading, detailing the urgent and overwhelming humanitarian need in Gaza. ‘For over a month,Continue reading “Humanitarian Call for Ceasefire Now”
A picture worth a thousand words
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. The image of Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, in a clean white coat, walking through the rubble of northern Gaza on December 27th 2024 towards an Israeli tank, is such an image. Dr Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, refused to leave until the lastContinue reading “A picture worth a thousand words”
What’s in a Symbol?
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?”
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”
‘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’”
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”
Stepping out of the boat... 