In his article published in the current issue of This Week in Palestine, His Beatitude Patriarch Michel Sabbah asks: “Who are we Palestinians? Who are we Christian Palestinians? What is our future? Will there be future generations of Christians in this land?” You’ll find the answers in his and other articles that focus on Palestinian Christians, the theme of this month’s issue.
The articles within these pages touch on many topics, such as the alarming rate of emigration by Palestinian Christians. Read Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb’s take on that. Other topics include the breach of the Status Quo with the local churches – an article not to be missed by advocate Ass’ad Mazzawi; the 800-year-old presence of the Custody of the Holy Land, its mission and accomplishments; the Palestinian Christian national movement since the turn of the last century, another must-read article; and many other topics on equality, justice, and actions taken by patriotic Palestinian Christians that challenge the narrative of so-called Christian Zionism.
We also feature two articles authored by exceptional women – Jean Zaru and Cedar Duaybis – who have dedicated their lives to peace and justice. Not only is the issue rich in content, but it is also quite pertinent given that Palestinians continue to be marginalized and that international law is being taken lightly by some.
The TWiP team extends a special thank you to the Higher Presidential Committee of Churches Affairs in Palestine for sponsoring this issue, and to the Custody of the Holy Land for their support.
In this month’s limelight section, you will read about our Personality of the Month, His Beatitude Patriarch Michel Sabbah, and you will get a glimpse into our Book of the Month, The Cross in Contexts: Suffering and Redemption in Palestine by Rev. Mitri Raheb and Suzanne Watts Henderson. We recommend that you visit the photo exhibition Bethlehem, Between Sight and Insight, by Elias Halabi at Bab idDeir Gallery, and enjoy Chef Fadi Kattan’s Pain Perdu with Poached Pears. Finally, we invite you to visit Jifna, a village that preserves the presence of ancient Christianity.
We hope you’ll enjoy this unique great issue of This Week in Palestine.