This week, veteran 60 Minutes producer Harry Radliffe threw Overtime a real plum: the story of Taybeh.
He and correspondent Bob Simon stumbled on the tiny village of Taybeh while they were in the West Bank, reporting on the Holy Land’s vanishing population of Christians.
What makes Taybeh the last all-Christian village in the Holy Land? The village has no mosque and is home to three distinct Christian communities: Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Melkite Greek Catholics.
Taybeh’s roots are deep, and for Christians, important: the biblical name of the village is Ephraim. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ came to Taybeh from Jerusalem before his crucifixion. John 11:54 states: "Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples."
The name of the village was changed from Ephraim to Taybeh around 1187, by the Islamic leader Saladin.
Today, Taybeh’s population is dwindling, down to around 1500. The majority of Christians there are Greek Orthodox.
But have faith. The town’s resident Roman Catholic priest, Father Raed Abu Sahlia, isn’t going anywhere. As he told Bob Simon with a smile:
"I will assure you that even if all the Christians of the Holy Land will leave, and I will remain alone, I will get married, we will start another new generation."
Click to view video: www.cbsnews.com….
Filed under israel and palestine articles by on Apr 25th, 2012. Comment. 
The following article is by Rick Steves. He does travel books and a KPBS travel program Saturday nights at 5:00 p.m. He also did a beautiful program on Iran. Hopefully his information will get some major media coverage.
Reflections on Israel and Palestine
Posted: 04/ 5/2012 1:50 pm
I’ve been duped.
Do you know the frustration you feel when you believed in something strongly and then you realize that the information that made you believe was from a source with an agenda to deceive?
I just watched a powerful and courageous documentary called Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land. It certainly has its own agenda and doesn’t present balanced coverage. Still, it showed me how my understanding of the struggles in the Middle East has been skewed by most of our mainstream media. I saw how coverage of the Israeli/Palestinian problem is brilliantly controlled and shaped. I pride myself in understanding how the media works… and I find I’ve been bamboozled. Invest 75 minutes in watching this, because most of the time we only hear one viewpoint when it comes to the interminable struggle in the Holy Land. While this documentary would never be shown on commercial TV in the USA, it can be viewed online (Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land). In my view, many Palestinians live under inhumane conditions, and U.S. taxpayers help to make it happen. Please, watch this and then share your impressions.
Criticism of Israel’s policies is not automatically anti-Semitic (see J-Street for an example of a pro-Israel, pro-peace group). In fact, the irony is that for Israel’s hard-liners, their clever PR strategy could be their own worst enemy. While Israel certainly deserves security on its land, the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory (in Gaza and the West Bank) degrades Israel and drives Palestinians to desperation. The question of whether Israel is conducting a brutal military occupation or a reasonable defense against terrorism gets no real airtime. If we care about the long-term security of Israel, we have a responsibility to understand what our government is funding and supporting. I believe that watching this documentary is a painful first step to finding a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. If you are a friend of Israel, you must watch Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land.
Follow Rick Steves on Twitter: www.twitter.com…
Filed under israel and palestine articles by on Apr 14th, 2012. Comment.
This is encouraging. Simultaneous to the AIPAC gathering, leading clergy from the Holy Land – Christian, Muslim and Jew – have been meeting with leading US government officials, advocating peace. Once again it is made clear that the Israel/Palestine conflict has nothing to do with any incompatibility between the Abrahamic religions.
Delegation from the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land in Washington DC
Posted: 27 Feb 2012 04:25 PM PST
A delegation of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land visited Washington to speak with administration officials and congressional leaders about the role religious leaders can play in Middle East peace-making.
Peace in the Holy Land is a necessity – and possible. So says a delegation from the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land visiting Washington DC this week to speak to administration officials, congressional leaders and interested lay people. The group, made up of top Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders in the Holy Land, have been working together for years now to bring a just peace to their beloved land.
They spoke Tuesday at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, stressing the role of education in peace-making. I have asked for a transcript of the panel to be put up at www.us…, but don’t know if that is possible.
A written statement from their delegation states that their goals for this visit include advocating for equal, free access to all holy sites and for respecting all three narratives of Jerusalem, Jewish, Christian and Muslim. The council speaks out regularly against incitement and has commissioned a study of Palestinian and Israeli textbooks to monitor and hopefully lead to change of material deemed to incite hatred and racism. The council is also working to launch a project to prepare emerging religious leaders to enable them to also work cooperatively toward a just peace.
They say that religious leaders can and should be a great help to address entrenched issues that touch on both religion and politics, and are ready and eager to be of service.
Read their full statement of goals and a message from this delegation.
Filed under israel and palestine articles by on Mar 6th, 2012. Comment.
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