A United Nations committee meeting here has determined that two Baha’i shrines in Israel possess “outstanding universal value” and should be considered as part of the cultural heritage of humanity as a whole.

A Christian peace activist who spent 188 days as a hostage in Iraq has been jailed, assaulted and forcibly deported from Israel. Harmeet Sooden, a peace activist from New Zealand, was deported after four days imprisonment.

Bethlehem participants in a global week of church advocacy are inviting individuals and groups around the world to send them wishes and prayers for peace. Incoming emails will be shared with parishes, schools and organizations in Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu will enter Gaza later this week to conduct a United Nations investigation into the killing of 19 Palestinian by Israeli shells in November 2006.

A leading regional church figure says Christians in Palestine-Israel are living in a difficult situation, with some cases of Muslim-Christian tension. But talk of 'persecution' is exaggerated and the real task is to combat injustice.

As Israel marks its 60th anniversary this May, for Israelis and Palestinians the conflict and the suffering continues, says Ben White. He believes that this landmark is an important opportunity for Christian leaders around the world to add their voices to a special call for a justice-based peace.

As the 60th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel approaches, Western church leaders are putting their names to a historic joint declaration calling for a just peace in Palestine/Israel. Desmond Tutu is among signatories.