Three Stories—One Lesson by Jonathan Kuttab   Over the past week, three significant stories from Palestine/Israel appeared on social media but were completely ignored by conventional media outlets: First, an 80 year old Palestinian man from Beit Hanoun in Gaza was forced to don an Israeli uniform and wear an explosive band that was placed around his neck. He was used as a human shield to enter buildings ahead of Israeli soldiers, draw any hostile fire, and risk having his “collar” exploded if he failed to

Please God any deal that allows for Israeli’s and Palestinians to live alongside each other in peace – Mark Cairo: Egypt is developing a plan to rebuild Gaza without forcing Palestinians out of the strip in a counter to US President Donald Trump’s proposal to depopulate the territory so the United States can take it over. Egypt’s state-run al-Ahram newspaper said the proposal called for establishing “secure areas” within Gaza where Palestinians could live initially while Egyptian and international construction firms rehabilitated the strip’s infrastructure.Israel’s 16-month

On February 17th, the City of Sydney council passed a motion confirming it does not and will not fund or invest in companies complicit in Israeli settlements. By Purny Ahmed and Emilie Garcia-DolnikFebruary 18, 2025 Finally Sydney does something direct and honest – Mark On February 17th, the City of Sydney council passed a motion confirming it does not and will not fund or invest in companies complicit in Israeli settlements. The motion follows a comprehensive investigation into all investments and contracts initiated in June 2024.  The council further

Israel has killed 55 Palestinians after one month of its ongoing “Iron Wall” offensive in the West Bank. Killings, mass displacement, and uncertainty are the new normal. By Qassam Muaddi  February 18, 2025  1 The murder that has been hidden for 18 months continues – evil, evil, evil – Mark The ongoing Israeli offensive on the West Bank, dubbed “Operation Iron Wall,” has claimed the lives of four more Palestinians over the past week, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed since January 21 to 55. The offensive, which

‘Fragility of Gaza ceasefire underscores risk of further violations and need to halt arms exports to Israel, including F-35s,’ says joint statement Riyaz ul Khaliq  |18.02.2025 – Update : 18.02.2025 Too little too late and anyway the Yanks need to sell their murder weapons somewhere – Mark ISTANBUL A global coalition of 232 civil society organizations has called on international partners of F-35 jets to end their arms exports to Israel, which is facing a case of genocide at the International Court of Justice. The Australian

Feb 20th, 2025 The gospel reading for the upcoming Sunday, to be reflected on at Sabeel’s online Thursday service at 6 PM Palestine time, is Luke 6:27-38.   Christ the Liberator, you call us to the way of nonviolence—a love so radical that it refuses to hate even in the face of injustice. Teach us to see our enemies as fellow image-bearers of God, to resist the temptation of vengeance, and to reject the lie that violence can bring peace. We confess that we are all sinners, in need

(The Age, 13/2/2025) And so the murder continues – Mark Kafr al-Labad, West Bank: The call came in the middle of the night, Mohammed Shula said. His daughter-in-law, eight months pregnant with her first child, was whispering. There was panic in her voice. “Help, please,” Shula recalled Sondos Shalabi saying. “You have to save us.” Minutes later, she was fatally shot. Shalabi and her husband, Yazan Shula, 26, had fled their home in the early hours of Sunday as Israeli security forces closed in on Nur Shams

The modern notion of Human Rights is a secular concept asserting the existence of universal rights shared by all people worldwide, regardless of age, sex, religion, ethnic origin, wealth or position. On Dec. 10, 1948, these rights were codified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), unanimously passed by the United Nations General Assembly and further elaborated in a number of Conventions, Treaties, Institutions and Tribunals. On the surface, these rights are not based in scripture or theology but on a commitment to basic “natural