With global attention focussing on news of BBC journalist Alan Johnston's release from captivity in Gaza, a leading church agency says it is time to end the isolation of the Palestinian authority if peace is to be possible.
Heads of the historic churches in Jerusalem have welcomed the Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum launched in Jordan last week. They want to work with those of all faiths and none to achieve a breakthrough in the deadly stalemate.
The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia, plans to visit member churches and Christian communities in the strife-ridden occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.
Fighting between the Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah in the Gaza Strip has highlighted the urgent need for the international community to end the isolation and blockade on the Palestinian government, say churches and NGOs.