6th International Sabeel Conference, Jerusalem

“The Forgotten Faithful:
A Window into the Life and Witness of the Christians of the Holy Land”

A reflection by Maria C. Khoury of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Taybeh, Palestine

November 9, 2006

By Maria C. Khoury

The Sabeel’s Sixth International Conference took place this week (Nov 2-9, 2006) in Jerusalem with the theme “The Forgotten Faithful: A Window into the Life and Witness of the Christians in the Holy Land,” thus on a rainy Sunday a group arrived Taybeh including Fr. Timothy Ferguson from St. George Orthodox Church in West Roxbury, MA, to pray with us and at the Roman Catholic and Melkite Churches followed by lunch at the new home for the elderly. Fr. Tawfeeq Nasser, retired priest of St. George Greek Orthodox Church took the opportunity to express a cry for help to increase awareness of the Palestinian plight for freedom.

We currently have a country that is absolutely shut down. Since July there is on going slaughter in Gaza by the Israeli army and since September all the government ministries closed on strike for not having salaries since March 2006 following the freeze of international financial assistance to the Palestinian Hamas led government. This simply means no public school for over one million children and simply no mail since the post office is closed and the list goes on and on with the government services anywhere from needing a passport to needing a permit to ship books in my case. This is the worst year on the ground in the Palestinian Territories with the unemployment climbing past 60%. Unfortunately since September 2000 nothing has gotten any better in the West Bank due to the Israeli military re-occupation of all the Palestinian Territories that make our life miserable every day just to move around from one point to another with the Apartheid Wall closing us in a huge big prison.

Right when I lost my energy for writing since the misery of our daily lives has been the same for the past six years and always traveling on my book tours with the fear of being denied the right to re-enter like thousands of people this year, today, one lovely visitor said to me: “You have not been forgotten Maria” and this inspired me to share the words of Father Tawfeeq translated from Arabic by David Khoury, my husband and mayor of Taybeh to our Sabeel visitors:

“Dear Brothers. In this blessed day and in the name of St. George Orthodox parish in Taybeh, we welcome our guests each according to his title and position. We welcome you in your second home, Taybeh. The house of God is for all. Beloved, what the Palestinian people are going through today because of the occupation, I don’t think any other people anywhere in the world go through. And the world is looking and keeping silent while closing their ears from killing innocent women and children, demolishing houses, bulldozing land, uprooting olive trees and if this shows something, it is hatred from the Israelis toward the Palestinians.

The massacre by Israelis in Gaza over the last three days left behind over 40 Palestinians killed and over 200 injured in addition to shooting women in a peaceful demonstration. And the killing of children and women is still going on. What you see in the West Bank , speak out about it and don’t be afraid: the closures, poverty, the checkpoints, arresting young men. We are asking the world, USA , European Union , Great Britain to lift this occupation and stop the suffering of the Palestinian people and to speak to your governments about what you have seen and you will still see.

We are Palestinians with no difference between Christian and Muslims because what comes to the Light it cannot be But Light. “…arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” (Ephesians 5:14) On this land, the Land of prophets, the Palestinians were born and on this Holy Land and from each mosque shouting God is great and from each Church bell tower ringing Glory to God in the Highest, love and peace on earth.