The Ordinaries’ statement is extraordinary, and not primarily for its reorientation away from a two-state solution toward one state.

The Palestine Basic Law (2003) defines Palestine as part of the Arab world and cites Arab unity as a singular…

David Ben-Gurion, who declared the establishment of the State of Israel 70 years ago this week, once mused that “God left one commandment out of the Bible. Perhaps the Almighty delivered this commandment to Moses, but Moses forgot to bring it down from the mountain. That commandment is No. 11: ‘Be strong.'”

Israel’s founding was at once a victory for justice, a triumph for freedom, and a crushing blow to antisemitism. It was a story of David against Goliath. But 70 years later, things are different. Israel isn’t David anymore.

Bashar al-Assad’s regime has exploited Christians for years, and his government has effectively handed the country’s security to Shia militias that have shown little regard for Christians.

Gerard Russell’s Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms shows how Islam is not the only religion in the Middle East while displaying the hidden life of centuries old religious communities.