Negotiations over disposition of the “Holy Land” have progressed for almost a hundred years, beginning with the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 and the Balfour Declaration of 1917.   Along the way there have been critical UN Resolutions in 1947 and 1948 and again at the time of the 1967 and 1973 Wars.  Famous negotiations are remembered by their locations: Camp David, Oslo, and Geneva to name a few. 

In 1993 the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the PLO was signed, stating:

“Today here in the Holy Land, descendants of those first Christian witnesses are still to be found.  The Christians of the Holy Land, the “living stones”, continue to bear testimony to the power, truth, and love of the Gospel, as they have done faithfully and continuously throughout the last two millennia in this place.”  Michel Sabbah, retired Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem

To understand Palestinians today, it is necessary to recognize that nothing is more pervasive than the Occupation.  Every Palestinian we met is impacted by it.  The dimensions of the Occupation on daily lives of the Palestinians ranges from the seemingly endless military checkpoints to bureaucratic permissions that stymie economic development and can even affect family life.   To fully comprehend the extent of the Occupation, maps are needed to appreciate the vast network of “settlements,” the snaking of the "Wall" that in some places divides Palestinian lands and communities, check points, and the related system of “settler bypass roads”.

Day 16   Conversation with Naomi Chazan on International Women's Day  Every democratic nation goes through struggles of ideology and develops laws intended to express core values.  Over the last several years, many within Israel argue that the core values, the “soul of Israel,” have been shifting to the right, especially influenced by ultra-orthodox religious groups.