Working Together:

Aid & Assistance: Gaza

The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated places on the planet. It is home to more than two million Palestinians living within a stretch of territory 32 miles long by seven miles wide. Since 1967, this territory has been under Israeli military occupation. Read More

Aid & Assistance: Humanitarian Aid

The economic situation in the West Bank and Gaza remains dire. As of 2018, unemployment in the West Bank stands at 19 percent and unemployment in the Gaza Strip hovers around a staggering 41 percent. The Palestinian Authority (PA), which was created as a transitional government under the Oslo Accords in 1995, faces a severe debt crisis with an annual budget deficit of $1 billion. Read More

Broader Middle East: Covid 19 & the Middle East

After years of terrorism and war, many countries in the Middle East are ill-prepared for a global pandemic. Carla Khijoyan, the Programme Executive for the Middle East at the World Council of Churches, joins host Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon to discuss how the Arab world is responding to the novel coronavirus, and provides insight for how Christians can help those in need on the other side of the globe. Read More

Broader Middle East: Egypt

Egypt has a rich history of religious diversity from the Jewish scholars of ancient Alexandria, to the pioneering Coptic Christian monks of the Middle Ages, to the Islamic legal experts at Cairo’s al-Azhar University today. However, since the beginning of Arab Spring in 2011, Egypt’s religious diversity has increasingly come under pressure. Read More

Human Rights: Child Detention

Since the West Bank is a part of the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) and has not been annexed by Israel, all criminal cases there–including those involving juveniles–fall under the jurisdiction of Israeli military law. In principle, military courts comply with the obligations of an occupying power under international law. Read More

Human Rights: Water Insecurity

The iconic black water tanks on Palestinian roofs are the most visible symbol of the Palestinian water insecurity. These tanks store water in homes, many of which aren’t connected to public water mains. As of 2015, the water available for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza is well below the World Health Organization’s recommended 100 liters per person per day. Read More

Holistic Peace Building: Conflict Overview

The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict is quickly approaching its one hundredth year. It is a conflict of both regional and international importance involving Israel, the Palestinians, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, the United States, the nations of the Arabian Peninsula, and the European Union. Read More

Holistic Peace Building: Jerusalem

Known in Hebrew as Yerushalayim and in Arabic as al-Quds, Jerusalem’s multi-religious landscape includes the sacred sites of the three major Abrahamic religions–Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. But attempts to claim exclusive right to the city have resulted in generations of conflict. Read More