Peace-building and housing and education issues will be highlighted as a world-wide ecumenical team visits churches, faith organizations and civil society movements in Israel and Palestine from 14-21 March 2009.

We need to appreciate the life and witness of those indigenous Christians who have lived in the Holy Land for two millennia, says Harry Hagopian.

Besides hundreds of civilian deaths, Gaza lost 14,000 houses, 260 factories and 240 school buildings during the recent onslaught from the Israeli armed forces, an international aid conference has heard.

For Palestinian residents of Beit Sahour, living in church-owned houses, the return of the Israeli trucks signals the beginning of more trouble and further house demolitions, it is feared.

Both Israel and Hamas used imported weapons to carry attack civilians, Amnesty International said in fresh evidence on the munitions used during the three-week conflict in Gaza and southern Israel.

In a move likely to increase accusations of lack of public accountability, the BBC Trust has found that the BBC acted "reasonably" in refusing to screen a non-political humanitarian appeal for Gaza.

Since 9/11 there has been a huge growth in the number of books that seek to explain and analyse the phenomenon of high-profile violent attacks by extremist Islamist groups. Ben White examines a contribution by high-profile Christian writer Patrick Sookhdeo.

Amnesty International says it has evidence that Hamas forces and militias have been involved in a ruthless crackdown on opponents in the wake of the Israeli military action in the territory.

British church leaders of various denominations laced up their hiking boots, hoisted rucksacks and gathered laptops this week in order to publicise a unique virtual 'Journey to Jerusalem' for Lent 2009.

Talking with some and not to others while sealing off Gaza has been tried for a number of years, says Cecilie Surasky. This has brought immeasurable suffering to the besieged Palestinians in Gaza and great trauma to the citizens of Sderot in Israel. We need change.