Christian Issues

June 14, 2006

Presbyterian (PCUSA) Leaders Should Be Urged to Reject Divestment

From June 15 through June 22, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA), a Protestant denomination with approximately 2.3 million members, will pass judgment on the defense policies of Israel as it defends itself from terror attacks from the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Authority. The leadership of the PCUSA should consider more than just the Palestinian perspective, to acknowledge the 58-year history of Arab rejectionism toward the State of Israel, and to vote to rescind the unfair and counterproductive selective divestment initiative begun in 2004.

March 9, 2006

Christian Century Magazine Allows Wall Error

Columnist James Wall of Christian Century magazine claimed that Israel's security barrier "completely surrounds" Bethlehem. Although this is patently untrue—even according to PLO maps of the Israeli barrier—editors refuse to correct the error, simply because Wall, a regular critic of Israel, "stands by" his observation.
January 31, 2006

Hastings’ Mideast Expert Wrong on U.S. Aid

In a recent Op-Ed, George Bisharat, a professor at UC Hastings College of the Law, vastly overstated U.S. aid to Israel and entirely misrepresented Arab and Jewish demographics in Jerusalem.
October 25, 2005

Chicago Tribune Public Editor Lauds Sabeel

In his October 20th column, Chicago Tribune public editor Don Wycliff weighed in on the debate surrounding Sabeel, a Jerusalem-based Palestinian Christian organization which is accused of reviving the anti-Semitic "teaching of contempt" dogma long repudiated by most of the Christian world. Wycliff stated that the organization does "classy work."
September 6, 2005

AP Reports on Arson Attacks by Muslims Against Palestinian Christians

A Muslim mob converged on the Palestinian Christian town of Taibeh, burning and looting 13 homes owned by relatives of a man suspected of having an affair and impregnating a 30-year-old Muslim woman who worked for him. Prior to the mob attack, in yet another suspected "honor killing," the pregnant woman, Hiyam Ajaj, was found dead from poison.
May 16, 2005

Religious Tension and Shooting–But Little Press–in Bethlehem

An underage Christian girl from Bethlehem runs away with her older Muslim beau. Her outraged father tries to retrieve her and is turned back by armed men threatening to kill him. Bethlehem's Christians violently demonstrate, and Palestinian police shoot into the crowd, injuring more than a dozen. This all actually happened in Bethlehem, but you wouldn't know it from following the mainstream press.
December 24, 2004

New York Times Omits Major Reason Christians are Leaving Bethlehem

A New York Times report on the exodus of Christians from Bethlehem omitted a major reason for this demographic change – official and unofficial Muslim discrimination against Arab Christians, amid a rising tide of Islamism in the Palestinian territories.

August 20, 2004

From ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ to Casualty Count, Prof. Qumsiyeh Errs

Mazin Qumsiyeh's July 27 New Haven Register op-ed contained highly distorted and unsubstantiated accusations against Israel. While many of the accusations were of a general nature, Qumsiyeh did make some specific allegations which are demonstrably false.