Last week, Rev Kamal Farah, 83, a Maronite and Anglican priest, passed away. Rev Farah was from Kafr Bir’im, a historic Christian village depopulated during the 1948 Nakba. He was a respected community leader, guide, and elder who dedicated his life to supporting his community and nurturing younger generations. Rev Kamal was deeply loved and respected by all who knew him. He was a trusted guide and mentor to many, and his loss is deeply felt by the Christian community. We give thanks for his

Pure evil – Peter Four-year-old Palestinian child Mohammed Abdel Salam Taha was killed on Sunday after succumbing to wounds sustained in an Israeli attack in the central Gaza Strip. According to Al Mayadeen, the child was wounded when Israeli occupation forces bombed a residential area in Al-Zawaida, near the Al-Maghazi refugee camp. Earlier on Sunday, the outlet’s correspondent had reported casualties following the Israeli attack on the residential area. Taha later succumbed to his wounds. The killing came as Israeli attacks continued across several areas

by Jonathan Kuttab This week was dominated by two significant events. The first is the passing of Sliman Mansour, an iconic and beloved artist who has come to symbolize Palestine and its struggle. Many of you have seen his paintings, but I knew Sliman as a friend of many years. He is gentle and humble, with a sense of humor, and is eternally energetic and dedicated to serving the public through his art and his life. He was fiercely independent of any political party, yet

God bless him – Peter Qusra, West Bank: He watched from thousands of miles away on a security camera feed as militant Israeli settlers encircled his West Bank house, fearing he could lose his home forever amid increasing Israeli seizures of Palestinian property in the occupied territory. Loui Ridi, a Palestinian American living in Toledo, Ohio, owns one of three homes that have been under Israeli settler siege for over a week in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, a case that has drawn US

by Jonathan Kuttab It is usually very difficult and unwise to make predictions regarding Palestine/Israel, as there are so many variables and surprises involved, and so much history is packed into very short periods of time. Yet looking ahead and judging by past experiences, it is quite possible to predict some very dire events in the next two or so months leading up to the Israeli elections and the nerve-wracking process of coalition building that follows. Historically, this period in Israeli politics (just before elections)

Last week, Rev Kamal Farah, 83, a Maronite and Anglican priest, passed away. Rev Farah was from Kafr Bir’im, a historic Christian village depopulated during the 1948 Nakba. He was a respected community leader, guide, and elder who dedicated his life to supporting his community and nurturing younger generations. Rev Kamal was deeply loved and respected by all who knew him. He was a trusted guide and mentor to many, and his loss is deeply felt by the Christian community. We give thanks for his

by Jonathan Kuttab This past week witnessed the good news of numerous primary election victories  across a number of U.S. states. Most notable among them was the victory of Abdul El-Sayed against Haley Stevens in the Democratic Primary for the Senate Seat of Michigan, with a possibility of becoming the first ever Muslim senator. The victory was particularly sweet because Abdul El-Sayed, son of Egyptian immigrants, was pitted against an establishment candidate who drew massive support from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), whose

Amidst rising settler violence and expansion of settlement outposts in the West Bank, Pope Leo XIV recently called for an end to violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and for the international community to take action for a fair and lasting peace. God of truth, we give thanks for all church and faith leaders who courageously stand for peace, justice, and what is right. Give courage to all faith leaders to stand together against injustice and to be peacemakers. Transform us not only through our words,