By Usama Nicola, Bethlehem, Palestine Reading the article “The Flaws of Christian Zionism” by Fr. David Neuhaus was both deeply affirming and emotionally challenging. Affirming, because it articulated many of the tensions that Palestinian Christians have lived with for generations; challenging, because it reminded me how often our voices and experiences are absent from global Christian conversations about the Holy Land. Christian Zionism often presents the modern State of Israel as the direct fulfillment of biblical prophecy and as a necessary step in God’s plan for history. For many believers around the world, this interpretation seems compelling because it draws… Read more: Faith, Land, and Justice

By Usama Nicola, Bethlehem, Palestine Prayer is not simply words we repeat or rituals we perform. It is a moment of genuine encounter with God. It is the space where the noise of the world quiets, even if only for a short time, and we open our hearts to His loving presence. In prayer we come as we truly are, carrying our fears, our exhaustion, and the many questions we cannot answer. We place them gently into God’s hands. In daily life, especially here in Palestine, the weight of reality often presses heavily on the heart. The constant flow of… Read more: Prayer: Surrendering to God’s Love and Stepping Away from the Madness of War

By Usama Nicola In a time when political analyses and predictions about the fate of wars are constantly competing for our attention, we hear many conflicting voices. Some expect the conflict to end soon. Others believe the coming days will bring more escalation and expansion. Still others say that surprises are still waiting to unfold. Yet amid all this noise, one deeper lesson remains steady and undeniable, wars do not solve problems. They create new ones, often more complex and more painful than before. Every war, regardless of its scale or justification, brings new victims and renewed suffering. There is… Read more: A Reflection on War and Its Consequences

By Usama Nicola, Bethlehem Palestine Jesus Christ stands at the very heart of the Christian faith. His teachings emphasizing love, tolerance, and forgiveness call believers not only to love their neighbors but even their enemies. According to Christian doctrine, these teachings open the door to salvation and reconciliation with God, shaping both spiritual life and social ethics. Yet, during the Christmas season, questions about the earthly identity and nationality of Jesus resurface, especially on social media. Articles and posts debate whether Jesus was “Palestinian,” challenge the narrative by claiming the name “Palestine” became official only in 135 AD under Roman… Read more: Palestine and Jesus Christ

By, Usama Nicola, Bethlehem, Palestine Christmas in Bethlehem is never marked by a single day. Instead, the city lives the season across multiple calendars and traditions. Roman Catholics and many Protestants celebrate on December 25, Greek Orthodox Christians on January 7, and Armenian Orthodox Christians in January 19, following the Julian calendar. Together, these observances stretch Christmas across weeks, allowing Bethlehem to live and breathe the season in layered and deeply rooted ways. This year, Christmas in Bethlehem and across Palestine felt both radiant and resilient. After two years of interrupted celebrations, joy returned, quietly but unmistakably. Town squares glowed… Read more: Christmas in Palestine, A Return of Joy Amid Endurance

By Palestinian Christian Theologians and Leaders Full PDF: https://www.kairospalestine.ps/index.php/resources/publication/kairos-palestine-ii-a-moment-of-truth-faith-in-a-time-of-genocide We look toward the day when we shall live free in our land, together with all the inhabitants of the earth, in true peace and reconciliation — founded upon justice and equality for all God’s creation, where “mercy and truth meet, and righteousness and peace kiss each other.” (Psalm 85:10) 14-11-2025 Introduction §1 We, the Palestinian Christian Ecumenical Initiative, issued the Kairos Palestine Document in 2009 — “A word of faith, hope, and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering.” The Heads of Churches in Jerusalem heard this cry, welcomed it,… Read more: Kairos Palestine II: A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide

Let’s open with prayers for the victims of the shooting and for the loved ones of those who have died, and for the dozens who have been hospitalized. The Jewish community has endured yet another tragedy and now it is on Hanukkah. Hear our prayer, oh God: Almighty God, guide our steps and make our voices more powerful than those spewing hate. Strengthen our impact as we denounce the scourge of antisemitism. No one should die for being Jewish. Heal our blindness and sin, that we would be agents of peace and justice and righteousness, denouncing all forms of bigotry,… Read more: On the Tragedy of the Hanukkah Massacre in Australia: A Muslim in Gaza Responds

People are thinking that with the ceasefire the genocide has stopped, but this is not the case at all: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/27/israel-still-committing-genocide-in-gaza-amnesty-international-says

By Usama Nicola, Bethlehem, Palestine Are Our Lives Valued Differently? In the aftermath of the devastating war on Gaza, where tens of thousands of civilians, most of them women and children, were killed, many in the Arab world have felt that some Western governments respond to Palestinian suffering with indifference or selective empathy, as if Arab lives weigh less on the scale of humanity. This sentiment, rooted in long-standing political, cultural, and media structures, raises a critical question: Is this feeling grounded in reality, or is it merely an illusion? A Double Standard or a Different “Value” Assigned to Victims?… Read more: The Image of Arabs in the West: Between Reality and Illusion

By Mohammed X. Moving from Nablus, Palestine, to the United States wasn’t just a change of place, it was stepping into an entirely different world, one filled with its own challenges, fears, and contradictions. Living between these worlds means constantly trying to belong while carrying the weight of where I come from. Sometimes, it feels like my origins are seen as a threat rather than a story worth hearing. My Heart in Palestine Back home in Palestine, my life was deeply tied to my family, our memories, and the land itself. But living there also meant being on constant alert… Read more: Living Between Worlds: My Journey as a Palestinian in the USA

By, A Friend Living in Palestine, November 16, 2025 The recent period of the war on Gaza, marked by the ostensible ceasefire of October 2025, has unfolded as yet another chapter in the devastation of the Palestinian enclave. Satellite analysis, humanitarian reports, and international observations paint a sobering picture of destruction, displacement, and a peace process mired in contradictions and unmet promises. This article explores the vast landscape of destruction and humanitarian crisis, the shifting military policies since the ceasefire, and the political and logistical failures undermining any prospects for lasting peace. Destruction on an Unprecedented Scale Satellite imagery obtained… Read more: A Thorough, November Update on Gaza

By Usama Nicola, Bethlehem, Palestine Since my school days, I have devoted myself to educating fellow students about the significance of the Palestinian Declaration of Independence. Each year around November 15th, I organized activities to teach the story of the declaration, its history, its hopes, and its meaning. I would read aloud poems by Mahmoud Darwish and other Palestinian poets, weaving their words into the present moment. These were not just lessons in history but calls to remember sacrifice and remain steadfast in the pursuit of freedom. For me, November 15th is not just a date but a continuing commitment… Read more: Commemorating the Palestinian Declaration of Independence

By Usama Nicola, Bethlehem, Palestine, October 2025 It is said that a tailor once wanted to teach his grandson a great lesson in his own way. While sewing a new garment, he took his precious scissors and began cutting a large piece of cloth into smaller pieces to make a beautiful robe. When he finished cutting, he threw the scissors on the ground by his feet, then took a small needle and began sewing those torn pieces back together into a complete garment. When he was done, he placed the needle in the turban on his head. The grandson watched… Read more: Between the Scissors and the Needle… Reflections on the Anniversary of the Balfour Declaration

By Usama Nicola, Bethlehem, Palestine, October 2025 In Bethlehem, as in most Palestinian villages, the olive season is a significant social and cultural occasion. I grew up experiencing the harvest season with my family and cousins. Those were days filled with work and laughter; we would gather under the shade of the trees, eat homemade food, and sing to the land and the olives. Those moments carried the scent of belonging and the spirit of community. A lot of what makes the olive season meaningful lies in its simplicity the rhythm of family hands moving in unison, the hum of… Read more: The Olive Season in Palestine 2025: Harvest Under Siege

By Caleb Cray Haynes Eco-anxiety is a growing concern for many of us who have ventured into the depths of understanding what is occurring with planetary systems today. The creation, as God created it to be, has been dramatically altered through systematic overconsumption and waste. We’ve been told things like, globally, we lose 75 billion metric tons of fertile soil from arable land every year.[1] We’ve been told that global pollinator decline is happening at a rapid pace further compromising the very sustenance the offers us life.[2] We’ve been told that wildlife populations have plummeted by over 70 percent in… Read more: Balancing Faith and Action at the End of the World

By Lani Lanchester  A call for congregants to urge pastors and pulpits to break their silence on Palestine and stand with the oppressed.  In the Book of Esther, a decree is signed for genocide, Haman convinces King Xerxes that a certain people are “different,” their customs strange, their loyalty questionable. The solution, he says, is to destroy them. A day is chosen by lot, Purim, for their annihilation.  Esther lives inside the palace, shielded from danger. Speaking up could cost her privilege, her position, even her life. Yet Mordecai challenges her: “Do not think that because you are in the… Read more: Call for Pastors to Break the Silence About Palestine

By Lani Lanchester What does it mean to confess Christ in the land where he was born, crucified, and raised? In The Land of Christ: A Palestinian Cry, Rev. Dr. Yohanna Katanacho, theologian and Academic Dean at Nazareth Evangelical College, answers with honesty, courage, and hope. This is not a detached academic study of “Holy Land theology.” It is a profoundly personal book, written by a Palestinian Christian who has lived the realities of occupation, war, and religious struggle. Katanacho begins by sharing this testimony: as a young man, he rejected Christianity because he was unconvinced of its justice. In… Read more: Book Review: The Land of Christ: A Palestinian Cry, By Yohanna Katanacho

By Usama Nicola, Bethlehem, Palestine, September 2025 The ongoing catastrophe in Gaza is not merely a conflict but a genocide devastating the Palestinian people. Since hostilities sharply escalated on October 7, 2023, Gaza has experienced the displacement of two million people. Over 65,174 martyrs have been recorded in hospitals, with a total of 166,071 injured and 11,200 missing persons, 4,700 of whom are children. Additionally, 2,092 families have been completely eliminated, and 70 percent of the victims are women and children. Gaza is currently enduring a severe man-made famine, putting hundreds of thousands at risk of starvation. More than 422… Read more: Starvation, Displacement, and Destruction: The Tragedy of Gaza

By Usama Nicola I begin with a heavy heart, filled with both frustration and urgency. This cycle of suffering and injustice will not end without miracles or without decisive and compassionate action from the global community. But such action will only come when more ordinary people around the world rise together, demanding that their leaders take real responsibility and commit to meaningful change. Until that time, the heartbreaking reality that Jewish historian Zachary Foster so thoroughly documents will persist, and countless Palestinian families will continue to pay the price. Foster’s deeply researched article awakens within me a profound awareness of… Read more: Reflection on “Israel’s Ethnic Cleansing of the Palestinians, 1968-1993” by Zachary Foster

I follow a group called FOSNA and followed a link on the blog post to this talk by Sami Awad and Gabor Mate that I highly recommend: https://www.afcfp.org/past-events-data/from-pain-to-liberation-healing-collective-trauma