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PALESTINE MAKES 2016 LIST OF MOST BREATHTAKING CHRISTMAS TREES |
Earlier this month church bells rang across Bethlehem (and in every part of Palestine) while the historic Holy Town of Bethlehem (in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank) held its annual tree lightening ceremony at Manger Square outside the Church of Nativity (click here). The tree has been listed by Huffington Post as one of the most breathtaking and inspiring Christmas Trees of 2016. Click here |
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WORLD FAMOUS ARTIST BANKSY'S CHRISTMAS CARD |
Bethlehem, the historic birthplace of Jesus Christ is located in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The city today, one of the holiest sites for Christians, has been cut off from its sister city Jerusalem by Israel's illegal 8m high Apartheid Wall and illegal Jewish only settlements. Above is a nativity scene Christmas card depicting the situation designed by the world famous artist, Banksy. Click here for more info. |
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ARTICLE BY FORMER ARCHBISHOP OF JERUSALEM |
In a moving article, the former Archbishop of Jerusalem, Patriarch Emeritus Michael Sabbah of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem between 1987 and 2008, writes on the suffering of the indigenous Palestinian Christians - some of the first followers of Christ. Click here to read his article. |
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PALESTINIAN CHRISTIANS LIVING UNDER ISRAELI APARTHEID |
There is an increasing awareness of the plight of the Palestinian Christians living under Israeli Apartheid. Palestinian Christians insist that they, together with Palestinian Muslims, Palestinian Jews and all other Palestinians, share the same suffering under Israel’s regime of Apartheid. Their crime is that they are Palestinian. Palestinian Archbishop Theodosios Atallah Hanna explains that: “Israel desires to conceal the Christian dimension of the Palestinian issue. Israel attempts to present this conflict as a Jewish-Muslim religious conflict, and it also attempts to neutralize the Christian position, and therefore it is irritated by the growing Christian voices raised on the Palestinian issue.” Click here for more info. |
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REJOICING THE BIRTH OF JESUS, RESISTING APARTHEID AND CREATING A MORE JUST, LOVING AND PEACEFUL WORLD |
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Christmas is that time of year when people celebrate faith and family. It is a moment when Christians the world over remember and rejoice at the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ.
During this festive season let us also remember that as much as the kingdom of Jesus was spiritual, his mission was also to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, identify with the downtrodden and marginalised, and struggle for the deliverance of the oppressed.
But there is hope, for Palestinian Christians, Palestinians and humanity. Earlier this year the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA), with over 1000 local churches, became one of the most recent Churches to adopt the BDS boycott of Israel as practical solidarity and support for Palestinians living under Israeli Apartheid ( click here). The UCCSA, when adopting this resolution in support of the Palestinian struggle, importantly, drew attention to the deceptive conflation between "Biblical Israel" and the "Modern State of Israel” and between Israelites (of the Bible) and Israelis (of the modern Apartheid State of Israel created in 1948).
Other churches to have also taken similar BDS positions in recent time include the United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church, several Quaker bodies, the Mennonite Central Committee and, as recent as two weeks ago, the Peace United Church of Christ in Santa Cruz, California ( click here).
As we rejoice in the Christmas cheer, let us also remember and pray for those who are persecuted and oppressed. And as Christmas passes, let us re-commit ourselves to continue to fight in the new year for a more peaceful and just world - a world that the Prince of Peace would be proud of.
To all those celebrating Christmas, from the team at BDS South Africa, may you enjoy the message of hope, love, and peace during this special time of year. |
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