Resources on the Middle East

Resources on the Middle East

Programs

Living Stones
From War to Peace: Iraq and the church’s voice
Countering Islamophobia
“Visit the Christian Holy Land”-a travel and information resource

Bookshelf

Much has been written about the Middle East and Europe.  The links below provide some recommended reading on the topics indicated, hoping that you will find the annotated reading lists helpful and useful. Comments, and your suggestions for reading, are welcome.  Please send them by e-mail to Global Ministries, at the e-mail address listed at the bottom of this page.

Church and Mission History, and Partners
The Middle East, the United States, and Europe

Israel/Palestine

Lebanon, Syria and Jordan
Turkey and the Ottoman Empire; Armenia, the Armenians and the Genocide
Iraq and Iran
Egypt and Morocco
Interfaith Relations and Islam
Arab- and Muslim-Americans

Advocacy Resources

Middle East Report: Primer on Palestine, Israel and the Arab-Israeli Conflict
World Communion of Reformed Churches resource Focus: Palestine
B’Tselem’s “Conquer and Divide,” a series of maps illustrating what Israel has done in the Occupied Territories since 1967
Stone Cold Justice – A 2013 joint investigation by Four Corners and The Australian newspaper reveals evidence that shows the army is targeting Palestinian boys for arrest and detention. Video.
Militarization of the Middle East and the Church’s Economic Leverage
U.S. Weapons to Israel
Faith Under Occupation [PDF] The Plight of Indigenous Christians in the Holy Land
AMEU’s The Link: “Palestinian Christians,” by Jonathan Cook (July-Aug. 2020)
Churches for Middle East Peace Resources
Steadfast Hope: The Palestinian Quest for Just Peace (a PCUSA resource for order)
The Code of Fair Practices for Journalists in the Middle East
“Publish it Not: How Israel Controls the Way the Media Portray the Occupation…,” by Jonathan Cook
What is Islam? by Derek Duncan
Website Challenging Christian Zionism
“Christian Zionism: A Faithful Response”-A UCC Resource

International Middle East Media Center
A Media Style Sheet on the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, by J. Martin Bailey.
Israel-Palestine Resources from ELCA
USIP Report: “The Diversity of Muslims in the United States”  March 9, 2006
EAPPI Fact Sheets on Israel-Palestine
Interfaith Relations Resources
Resources on Apartheid in the Israel/Palestine context

Videos

Connecting Threads: Lilies Among Thorns
Watch, listen and study as partners and missionaries in the Middle East and Europe share the richness of their work. You will see people and images that challenge common assumptions and inspire hope amid many challenges – lilies among thorns.

This Holy Place
Explore the issues of peace and justice at stake in the Middle East conflict. For both youth and adult audiences. 16 minutes.

A Ride Through the Checkpoint – shows daily life for Palestinians

Experiencing the Palestinian Church
Churches for Middle East Peace Executive Director Warren Clark, Bishop Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land and Patriarch Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of the Holy Land and Jordan discuss the experiences of Palestinian Christians in the Holy Land and the ways that people in the United States can help achieve peace. (March 2, 2012)

Seeking Justice & Peace
A 19-minute video outlining the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the challenge of the Occupation. Produced primarily for internal use, the video does not claim high production values, but seeks to offer an overview of the conflict for those interested in the UCC’s 2005 General Synod resolution, and a history of the current issues.

ACT Palestine Forum: Together for Peace and Justice
This ACT Palestine Forum (APF) video features the humanitarian work of APF through its members and highlights the urgent need for a just and peaceful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Al-Nakba Every Day
An award winning documentary about water set in Aida refugee camp, the film explains how Palestinian water is redirected to Israel and the illegal settlements. A man examining an empty, dry n’ rusted storage tank swears to God his main concern is “the water and the water, every night…. Yesterday we commemorated the Nakba, everyday we have the Nakba, this is the biggest Nakba…. “ 12 minutes.

The Israel-Palestine conflict: a brief, simple history

The Lord’s Prayer Sung in Arabic in Aleppo, Syria

Seeing Through the Wall
This film follows a group of Americans who traveled to Israel and Palestine in 2016 seeking to understand what life is like for Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories and in East Jerusalem. The journey became an intense encounter not only with the people they met, but also with their own preconceptions, an experience that for many of the travelers was transformative.

This Is Palestine
‘This Is Palestine’ follows the journey of Riverdance founder John McColgan through the West Bank and Gaza as he explores the impact of ongoing conflict and military occupation on the people who live there. The documentary features powerful interviews with people who have lost their home, land and family members as a result of the conflict. As well as meeting communities under threat, McColgan also spent time with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists working to bring this long-standing conflict to an end. ‘This Is Palestine’ was co-produced by Tyrone Productions and Trócaire to mark the 50th anniversary of the military occupation of the West Bank.

My Neighborhood

In this 25-minute video, you will meet Palestinians and Israelis struggling for justice for the Palestinian residents of the Jerusalem neighborhood, Shaikh Jarrah. Click here to watch the documentary, distributed by JustVision.