An Israeli air strike blasted the area just outside the Latin Church in Gaza while the Christian community was praying: “Holy Mary, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”

An Israeli sniper shot and killed a mother and her daughter in the Latin church in Gaza.

Breaking news: Israel bombed a house bordering on the Greek Orthodox church in Gaza, which brought down the assembly hall where around 50 Christians were having refug. At least a child was murdered and several people injured, all Christians. Many are still under the rubble.

Jewish settlers continue to incite and attack Christian clergy ( in this case on Abbott Nicodemus in the old city of Jerusalem. Hate-speech has become the norm for these colonisers that enjoy impunity by the Israeli right-wing government.

Israel latest military orders, includes closing certain streets in the West Bank for Palestinians from 5-9am, so that illegal Jewish settlers can drive to work without seeing Palestinians. The Israeli minister of National Security announced that the life of the Jewish settlers is more important than the freedom of movement for Palestinians. For us as a university, this means that teachers and students can’t reach their classes in the morning. In addition, every now and then the Israeli military closes the main checkpoint connecting the southern part of the West Bank with the north, causing traffic jams for hours. What can we call such orders and actions other than Apartheid.

The two murdered Christian women at the Latin Church in Gaza by an Israeli sniper are Nahida Anton and her daughter Samar Anton. Their home (below) was destroyed earlier last month by an Israeli air strike. Their numbers are added to the other 20,000 civilians murdered in the Israeli assault on Gaza. We continue to call for an immediate ceasefire now.

The number of Christian’s killed in the latest bombing of the assembly hall of the Orthodox church is rising by the minute. Latest reports speaks that the death toll at the moment is close to 40 people.

The Greek orthodox assembly hall in rubble. A massacre. Lord have mercy.

Israel’s Christmas present to the tiny Baptist church in Gaza on the second Christmas Day is a tank shell that penetrated the building and damaged and destroyed the interior.

Latest news: This last night, an Israeli air strike bombed the Arab Orthodox Cultural and Social Center in Gaza, a brand new and state-of-the-art building that houses most of the Christian activities in Gaza, destroying the main auditorium.

We mourn the loss of another one of our volunteers in Gaza, artist Halima al-Kahlout, who was murdered by an Israeli air strike today. She worked with another colleague on this mural at our Dar al-Kalima University - Gaza Training Center.

Urgent Communique; Israeli settler incitement on Christians in Jerusalem continues! A massive & coordinated physical attack was carried out on clergy and members of the Armenian community in Jerusalem.

FOR IMMEDIATE CIRCULATION Statement on the Arrest of Hebrew University Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian Around 5 pm on Thursday, April 18, 2024, Hebrew University professor and internationally renowned feminist scholar Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian was arrested by Israeli police at her home in the Old City of Jerusalem on the charge of incitement to violence. The police raided and searched her home and she is currently undergoing harsh and dehumanizing interrogation. Her lawyer said the charges against her are serious. Information about her release is unknown. Palestinians in Israeli detention suffer physical, emotional, and mental violence. Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian, who holds both Israeli and U.S. citizenship, has been subjected to violent repression and harassment by the Hebrew University for speaking out against the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Furthermore, she was suspended from her teaching duties in March, though later reinstated once it became clear that there is no basis for the allegations against her.  The attack against Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian is one on all Palestinian scholars, students, and activists who bring to light the violent and genocidal nature of the Israeli state, which was on full view of the world during South Africa’s presentation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). That presentation was sufficiently persuasive that the ICJ almost unanimously found in its provisional ruling on January 26, 2024 that Israel’s attack on Gaza is plausibly genocide. We thus recognize this as an attempt to silence critique of Israeli state violence in a context of a society infused with open genocidal incitement and discourse. In fact, the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir welcomed the arrest and said that it "conveys an important message - whoever incites against the State of Israel, we will take action against them. They will not be able to hide behind their position or any other title."  This silencing and repression endangers not only Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian, but also the lives and education of students who study, write, and are part of her intellectual community in the Hebrew University and beyond.    We, as international academics, hold the Hebrew University of Jerusalem responsible for the arrest and detention of Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian because of its persistent and public repression of her academic freedom, which led directly to today’s arrest. We call on international scholars, activists, and people of conscience to demand her immediate release. We are outraged by this unlawful action, and we refuse the continuing violence the Israeli state and its institutions wage against the Palestinian people and those who stand for justice and freedom.  Take action today for Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s immediate release by:  1Writing to Asher Cohen, President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem  (asher.cohen@mail.huji.ac.il); Tamir Sheafer, Rector (tamir.sheafer@mail.huji.ac.il); and Asher Ben-Arieh, Dean of the School of Social Work (benarieh@mail.huji.ac.il).  2Contacting your U.S. representatives and demanding that they (1) call for Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian’s immediate release, and (2) protect the academic freedom of Palestinian scholars, students, and those speaking out against genocide.  3Creating a social media storm by circulating our statement and calling for the immediate release of Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian; use the hashtag #FreeNadera and tag @HebrewU.

The Christmas story in the context of Gaza! Peace My Christmas message today! piped.video/vdzn6FeUvdw

Palestine lost today one of the most professional Palestinian journalists, Shireen Abu Aqleh. Born and raised in Jerusalem, Shireen’s family roots are from Bethlehem. A Palestinian Christian and an American citizen, Shireen was murdered by an Israeli sniper.

Another friend and a colleague was murdered this last night through an Israeli airstrike. RIP Sheikh Yousef Salameh. We will miss your presence and input at the Palestinian National Council and the Palestinian Central Council.

Occupation will keep triggering resistance. No one can relinquish people’s quest for freedom. Without justice there will be no peace. It is high time to decolonize Palestine so that our people can live in dignity and reach the potential that God has for them.

The images make us speechless: While we were celebrating the Holy Week, Israeli air strikes wiped out the whole neighborhood behind as-Shifa hospital in Gaza fully destroying Dar al-Kalima University - Gaza Training Center

Support us by signing this open letter from Palestinian Christians to Western Church Leaders and Theologians change.org/p/an-open-letter-…

Dar al-Kalima University - Gaza Training Center, once a place for of creativity and hope is now in ruin. Yet, Destruction…May Be, Continuity Shall Be. We are committed to our people in Gaza.

The plight and future of Palestinian Christians in Gaza. My interview with Aljazeera today. www-aljazeera-com.cdn.amppro…

My interview at Aljazeera today

We are loosing by the day some of the most creative and gifted artists who brought beauty, sanity, and healing to the larger besieged Gazan community.

OUR LONG SATURDAY As Palestinians, we are living our long Saturday. The Israeli settler colonial state is telling us that we are doomed to live behind a huge wall, that no one can roll away. While living our long Saturday, we continue to hold to our belief that Sunday is coming.

From manger square in Bethlehem,Palestine, on this Christmas Eve we wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year

Bethlehem cancels Christmas celebrations: Rev. Raheb draws his parallels to Gaza’s plight – Middle East Monitor middleeastmonitor.com/202312…

Tonight: Unforgettable night at al-Aqsa Demonstrating Faith in the space of Empire and Christian-Muslim unity as tool of creative resistance

The destruction of religious places in Gaza by Israeli air strikes is beyond description: 1/5 of all mosques targeted: 66 totally destroyed and 146 damaged in addition to 1/3 of the Church-related institutions.

Gaza’s Christian community facing extinction! NBS News! nbcnews.com/news/world/fears…

This night Israel started its heaviest air strike on Rafah, the southern tip of the Gaza Strip with over 1.4 million displaced Palestinians including over 600,000 children. Meet some of Rafah’s children that our staff have been working with yesterday. How many of them will survive this genocide?

Stop Praying for Gaza! By Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb theimeu.medium.com/stop-pray…

The desire for freedom is stronger than the settler colonial state. The Palestinians keep showing new forms of creative resistance & resilience. Our heart goes to our people in Gaza & especially our staff & students there. Your prayers, advocacy, & support now is much appreciated

This morning Israeli military in front of the church of the nativity. These invasions are happening on daily basis combined with arrests of young people.

In the crucifixion of their Lord, our ancestors in Palestine were able to find in the midst of suffering a meaning for life. This gave them the power to endure pain, to creatively resist oppression, to re-imagine life in a context of death, and to find hope in unexpected places.

My Easter Appeal in the context of genocide religionnews.com/2024/03/29/…

The new Israeli Goverment that was sworn in today announces unapologetically Jewish supremacy, settler colonialism, and apartheid as official Israeli policy!

Always a pleasure meeting with congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. Thank you raising your voice for justice and peace!

Palestine lost today a great friend and the world lost a courageous leader. We thank the Lord for the life, witness and work of Archbischop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. We keep his family and South Africa in our thought and prayers. #DesmondTutu

Proud of our staff in Gaza. Though they themselves are displaced, they reach out to thousands of children and women displaced in Rafah.

My speech outside congress at a service organised by Christians for a free Palestine piped.video/RhRNFVLnB6E?si=GNgs…

Standing with the people in Sheikh Jarrah: standing for justice, equal rights & human dignity; standing against settler colonialism, apartheid & ethnic cleansing. Christian clergy & lay leaders on a visit to the families threatened to be evicted on day 2 of Eid #savesheikhjarrah

It is official now: Dar al-Kalima University College has a Training Center in Gaza with the first 51 students registered! What a joy to meet over two days with our students & to listen to their stories, needs & ambitions. Special thanks to the many colleagues who made it possible

Christmas Canceled in Bethlehem as Churches Mourn 20,000+ Palestinians K... piped.video/NkRlMV2JVVs?si=m8rv… via @YouTube

For us the theme of the Bible was and remains to be liberation, never occupation; inclusion, never exclusion; equality, never supremacy.

The cross tell best the Palestinian story

Excited to see my newest book on “Decolonizing Palestine:A critique of western theology!” available now in Danish. Thank you Niels-Peter Lund Jacobsen for working on the translation.

My interview on negative media portrayals of Palestinians washingtonpost.com/religion/…

My essay on Christmas: Then & Now mondoweiss.net/2023/12/chris…

In the midst of political upheavals, we celebrated Tala’s graduation from Candler School of Theology finishing an MA in theological studies. She accepted a PhD offer from Emory University, Graduate School of Religion. Her focus will be on women liberation. Congratulations Tala.

Gaza’s tiny Christian community huddles in churches to hide from war. An article by the FT. ft.com/content/a6900e77-eded…

Glad to be presenting my newest book “ Decolonizing Palestine” at Princeton & Harvard Divinity School April 15th & 16th. Hope to see many of you!

What would you tell Prince Charles if you were given one minute and 20 seconds to brief him about the situation of the Palestinian people in general and the Palestinian Christians in particular. This was the challenge I was given yesterday by the British consulate.

Thinking of our people in Gaza, friends, artists, students, && Christians. Sharing this picture by young Gazan artist, Mahmoud alkurd, who won Karimeh Abboud award last year. His newest work is called “The last Prayer.” Gaza needs our prayers, our attention, and our solidarity.

Over and over again, Israel keep silencing the Palestinian voices that tells the truth of what is happening on the ground in terms of the Israeli settler colonial practices in Palestine. RIP Shireen Abu Aqleh 🙏

The plight of the only organist in Gaza, shot by an Israeli sniper and left for days to bleed and die on the street. themessenger.com/news/israel…

A very special feeling for a dad to walk his daughter down the aisle

Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb: A word from heads of churches on behalf of Christi... piped.video/HDkQabGxT3o?si=_-Nu… via @YouTube

A historic day at Dar al-Kalima University College of Arts and Culture as we are to becoming the first Zero energy campus in Palestine. A second solar panel system was switched on at the roof of the new library building producing a total of 180,000 KWHr of green energy.

Excited to see my newest book “Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, the People, the Bible” available worldwide.

My latest interview with the Guardian. theguardian.com/world/2023/n…

I’m excited to announce the release of my newest book entitled: “The Politics of Persecution: Middle Eastern Christians in an age of Empire” published by Baylor University Press. piped.video/watch?v=D4FDR-Yz…

Just now lighting the Christmas Tree at Manger Square in Bethlehem

“In a liberation perspective, we take Gaza as a theological hermeneutic, a turning point that will leave a mark on the articulation of the knowledge of God and its implication for life today,” ucanews.com/news/global-theo…

To our American friends asking what they can do against the atrocity in Gaza, here is one idea: pledge to put Palestine on the Ballot in 2024 change.org/p/palestine-on-th…

Tala Raheb presenting on “Towards a Palestinian Christian Feminist Theology” advocating for listening and documenting women’s narratives in the Middle East

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a new year that will bring freedom, justice, peace and health to all of us. The painting by the late Palestinian artist Adnan Al-Zubaidi, is part of the collection at Dar al-Kalima University and is displayed at its newly opened gallery.

Honoured to have received this honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity, Honoris Causa from One if the finest seminaries in the US, Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, yesterday May 15.

My latest interview on RT on the situation in Gaza

“Not only is Israel misrepresenting its occupation and current attack on Gaza, the situation has revealed the hypocrisy of western legal, religious and cultural tradition” from our media coverage at the World Social Forum in Nepal. ipsnews.net/2024/02/world-so…

2020 is a special year. As organization (DIYAR) we will be celebrating our 25th anniversary. Bethlehem, will be the cultural Capital of the Arab World. Much work is awaiting us, many things to celebrate. May it be a year full of grace, peace, and great success.

At Pentecost Jerusalem stands for unity in diversity. The best translation of that would be to make it an open city with two capitals: West Jerusalem the capital for Israel and East Jerusalem the Capital for Palestine; an inclusive city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

TOMORROW! Join us for my presentation on “The Bible and Settler Colonialism in #Palestine and Beyond" with Atalia Omer, and Revelation Velunta responding. January 27, 2024, 9:30am ET. Register now: linktr.ee/religionandjustice

Dar Al-kalima University College buzzing with life as we cultivate the next generation of creative leaders for Palestine.

Honored to be at This historic event in Abu Dhabi today witnessing the signing of the Human Fraternity document. The grand Imam: Christians are equal citizens and not a monitory in the Arab World. Pope Francis: we are all equals in dignity.

How Israel is testing AI- enabled warfare and weapons of mass-killing in Palestine. CNN interview on The Palestine Laboratory and Israel's war on Gaza piped.video/h-0iHAk4qVQ?si=J0pj… via @YouTube

Happy New Year 2019 from Bethlehem

What a pleasure to be discussing “Theology after Gaza” with some of the most greatest theologians.

Palestinian Artists killed in Gaza amid war theartnewspaper.com/2023/10/…

Merry Christmas from the Little Town of Bethlehem piped.video/watch?v=pv6BukpP…

Special Announcement! Dar al-Kalima University film student, Saif Hammash to be recognized at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival. In an important Palestinian artistic achievement, the film “The Deer’s Tooth” was selected by LA CINEF for the festival. Hammash’ film was one of 18 shorts selected from the staggering 2,263 entries submitted by film schools all over the world. festival-cannes.com/en/press…

Breaking news from Cannes Film Festival. The film Ambiance directed by Dar al-Kalima University’ graduate, Wisam Aljafari, is among the finalists for Cannes Cinefondation. 17 films were chosen from 2000 submitted by schools all over the world. Congratulations Wisam & DAK team

Watching all the disturbing images of the hundreds Israeli air strikes on Gaza, I can’t but think of our students there, who paint in colors, love life, and want nothing else than to live in freedom, dignity and peace. #daralkalimauniversity #Gaza_Under_Attack #art

A great summary of my presentation on “settler colonialism” at the Natthew 25 summit in Atlanta this week! presbyterianmission.org/stor…

Big and Exciting News from Dar al-Kalima!   We are proud to announce that Dar al-Kalima has received today the official accreditation as a University by the Palestinian National Authority for Accreditation and Quality Assurance.

Proud of our young women: Congratulations  to Diyar Women Soccer Team for winning today the Palestinian National Championship.

Palestine is very visible at the World Social Forum. People of all nationalities, cultures, and religions vary the Palestinian flag together with their own. Palestine is a global issue that can’t be ignored. If you happen to be at the WSF in Nepal this year, don’t miss our panel on Friday morning at 11:30: Current Situation and Challenges for the Palestinian People and Palestinian Liberation Theology” Moderator: Jean-François Roussel Panelists: Mitri Raheb, Dar Al-Kalima University, Bethlehem, Palestine Varsen Aghabekian, Dar Al-Kalima, Palestine

For Palestinians Palestine is a real land with real people: our homeland. For the West, Palestine is an imagined land, that they know mainly from the Bible. When Christian theologians write about Palestine, their minds are occupied with the Bible and a western dominant narrative

Who will roll away the stone?

Congratulations to a friend, a senior pastor, and a fighter for justice , the Rev. Dr. Warnock, for winning todays’s election and becoming Georgia’s first Black Senator. @ReverendWarnock

Glad to see my latest edited book out: In the Eye of the Storm: Middle Eastern Christians in the Twenty-First Century a.co/d/gNjMLWv