CMEP Bulletin: U.S. Church Leaders and Politicians Speak Up for Christians in Israel/Palestine

Bipartisan Group Of Congressmen Slam Israel Over Bill To Seize Church Land
The Jerusalem Post

“A bipartisan group of US lawmakers… has sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo protesting Israel’s advancement of the so-called “properties bill,” which aims to nationalize properties used for housing that were owned by the church and sold to private entrepreneurs.” The lawmakers wrote that they were concerned that the “bill threatens the sustainability of the historic Christian presence in Jerusalem.”

US Church Leaders Urge President to Restore Vital Funding to East Jerusalem Hospitals

Church leaders have called for the “US President to restore vital funding for four church-associated medical institutions in East Jerusalem.” They have argued that “by halting this humanitarian assistance ‘lives are being threatened unnecessarily,” and that “these hospitals provide life-saving and, in some cases, unique forms of health care not available otherwise to Palestinians.”

Israeli Panel Approves 640 New Settler Homes in East Jerusalem

These settlements faced objection due to the fact that they will be built on privately owned Palestinian land. “The district planning committee rejected the objections, however, saying that most of the land belongs jointly to both Israelis and Palestinians and that the developers will buy out the Palestinian owners’ interests.”

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