‘Many have had their eyes opened for the first time’ to Palestine’s occupation, Bethlehem’s Rev. Munther Isaac tells Arab News

01: Munther Isaac: 'Horrified' war still ongoing
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Updated 25 December 2024
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‘Many have had their eyes opened for the first time’ to Palestine’s occupation, Bethlehem’s Rev. Munther Isaac tells Arab News

‘Many have had their eyes opened for the first time’ to Palestine’s occupation, Bethlehem’s Rev. Munther Isaac tells Arab News
  • Pastor shares his enduring faith in Palestinian resilience as a second subdued Christmas is marked amid the Gaza conflict
  • Isaac says he would like to show Trump’s pick for US ambassador to Israel Huckabee the realities of West Bank occupation

BETHELHEM: Amid the ongoing suffering in Gaza, Rev. Munther Isaac, the Palestinian pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, told Arab News that his enduring source of hope is his “faith in God and the resilience of our Palestinian people.”

Isaac, who last Christmas drew global attention after his church displayed a nativity featuring the baby Jesus draped in a keffiyeh amid a heap of rubble, representing the war in Gaza, said he had been taken aback by the worldwide response to his imagery.

“It has been a year since we installed Christ in the rubble in our church here in Bethlehem, and honestly I am shocked and horrified to my core that this war is still going on and that all our efforts, demonstrations around the world, the cries and the images of people, children killed didn’t stop this war,” he said.

Israel mounted a devastating military operation in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, which killed some 1,200 people, most of them Israeli civilians, and saw around 250 taken hostage, including scores of foreign nationals.

The bombardment of Gaza and strangulation of aid flows into the embattled territory has resulted in more than 43,000 deaths, some 70 percent of the women and children, according to health ministry officials, leading to accusations of genocide.




Worshippers walk outside after Christmas Eve mass at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family in the Zaytoun neighbourhood of Gaza City on December 24, 2024. (AFP)

Isaac said the widespread revulsion inspired by the conflict had created a worldwide movement in support of the Palestinian cause, with several churches around the globe copying the imagery of Jesus in the rubble to show their support.

“I still receive these days, a year on, images of churches around the world that have created something similar, whether in their churches or church leaders carrying signs with the image of Jesus in the rubble or using that metaphor that if Jesus was born today he would be found in the rubble,” he said.

The Palestinian pastor said he has been “overwhelmed” by that response and the media attention.

“I am grateful that this has enabled us to speak about the suffering of our people, that it enabled us to try as much as we can to humanize our message that this is about children, about real people,” he said.

“We are seeing people united together in churches and sometimes in synagogues with the aim of convincing the warlords, which they called them, to stop this war.”

But the native of the Bethlehem district town of Beit Sahour, where the biblical story of the Shepherds watching their flock by night occurred, called on supporters and those who can show solidarity with Palestinians to visit the occupied territories.

Isaac, who is also the academic dean at the Bethlehem Bible College, oversaw an international conference in May titled “Christ at the Checkpoint,” which drew hundreds of attendees from across the globe.

“It was great to see people come from around the world to express their support and solidarity, to stay in our hotels and cater to our restaurants and shops,” said Isaac.




Debris and rubble litter the ground a day after the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, the oldest church still in use in Gaza, was damaged in a strike on Gaza City on October 20, 2023. (AFP/File)

Bethlehem’s tourism industry has been badly hit by the dramatic fall in visitor numbers since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023. Prior to the conflict, well over a million pilgrims and tourists would visit the birthplace of Jesus every year.

Isaac has become a global voice for Christians and Palestinians, attending meetings with national security officials at the White House, participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London, and recently speaking in a South Africa mosque.

He was damning in his assessment of the US President-elect Donald Trump’s new cabinet picks, including the new US ambassador to Israel, Michael Huckabee, who has said he does not believe there is an Israeli occupation.

“When you look at what they are saying, that there is no occupation, that it is Judea and Samaria (rather than the West Bank), it clearly shows their imagined reality of Palestine from their biblical understanding, Trump’s (understanding), (removed from) any reality on the ground, whether it is international law or the reality we are living in,” said Isaac.

“When he says there is no occupation, I want to take him with me when we take our kids to school every day, and we pass by a checkpoint with (Israeli) soldiers pointing their guns at us.”

Isaac said the most dangerous thing about the holders of this ideology is that they “have a totally different sphere or reality to them. It is the imagined biblical times. God has given the land to Israel, and it does not matter what international law says.

“It does not matter that Palestinians have lived on this land for generations. To them, the only reality that matters is the way they understand the Bible.

“I find it strange that these are the very same people that preach to the world about the separation of state and religion, yet here they are imposing their own religious beliefs on me and our people, and they want all of us in the Middle East to accept not only their religion but to accept the way they interrupt the Bible, which is something not all Christians agree on.

“And they want to impose it on Arabs, on Palestinians, even on Palestinian Christians with a total disregard for reality or international law.”




A woman lights a candle inside the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. (AFP/File)

However, Isaac said he is seeing changes, or what he called “cracks in the wall,” in how Christians are responding. “I receive lots of messages and I begin to see this change, and the crimes that Israel is committing are so hard to ignore,” he said.

In his Christmas sermon last year, Isaac said the conflict in Gaza had divided the world. Now he says Gaza “has created a division also among Christians in how they see the world.”

“Some still believe and continue with the narrative in the West that Israel is defending itself and that this is a legitimate war or the Christian Zionist brand that says that this is Israel’s land to begin with, while others who are more concerned about justice and human rights are beginning to speak out,” he said.

“Many have had their eyes opened for the first time. Let us not forget that many in the West do not even realize Palestinian Christians exist. So, when they see and hear from pastors that even the church in Gaza was attacked and that Christians in Gaza are killed, women were shot dead in the church yard, it challenges their perspectives that this change is not enough to stop the war.”

Isaac says there are many parallels between the Christmas story and what Palestinians are living through today.

“Jesus was born under occupation, became a refugee, and survived the massacre of children,” he said. “All these are stories in the gospel. When we look at Jesus, we find hope. When we look at God, who is good and just, we have hope.

“That is why, this Christmas season, our hope comes from our faith. We will continue to pray.”




“I am shocked and horrified to my core that this war is still going on,” said Rev. Munther Isaac. (Supplied)

Like last year, Bethlehem’s festive decorations will again be more muted in a sign of respect to those killed and suffering in Gaza. “Yes, we will not light Christmas trees and Santas,” said Isaac. “That enables us to talk about the true meaning of Christmas.”

The heads of the various churches of Jerusalem have also called on church leaders to share messages of hope during this year’s Christmas celebrations. “Our faith is being tested and we need to keep the faith,” said Isaac.

“This is the place that Christianity started, there has been an ongoing Christian presence in Bethlehem in Jerusalem and in Nazareth for 2,000 years, and I believe there will be Christian presence after this.

“As long as we are committed to keep the witness from the place where it all started, I think we can survive this period.”


Libya’s Haftar meets French President Macron in Paris

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Libya’s Haftar meets French President Macron in Paris

Libya’s Haftar meets French President Macron in Paris
Haftar and Macron discussed “developments in the political process in Libya”
The statement said Macron emphasized Haftar’s “central role” in Libya’s political process

BENGHAZI: Libya’s eastern military strongman Khalifa Haftar met French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in the French capital, his Benghazi-based forces said in a statement.
Haftar and Macron discussed “developments in the political process in Libya and the importance of supporting the UN mission’s efforts,” according to the statement posted on social media Wednesday evening.
Libya has struggled to recover from years of unrest since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi.
The country remains split between the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity and a rival administration in the east aligned with Haftar.
A picture accompanying the statement showed Haftar and Macron shaking hands.
The statement said Macron emphasized Haftar’s “central role” in Libya’s political process and stability.
Contacted by AFP, the Elysee declined to confirm or deny the meeting.

Who are the Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Israeli hostages?

Who are the Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Israeli hostages?
Updated 27 February 2025
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Who are the Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Israeli hostages?

Who are the Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Israeli hostages?
  • Hamas handed over the remains of four hostages overnight without any public display, and Israel released the 600 prisoners

JERUSALEM: Israel released about 600 prisoners overnight, including the longest-serving prisoner and a man convicted of killing an American peace activist, in the latest exchange for Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
They were supposed to have been released last weekend after Hamas freed six living hostages. But Israel delayed the release to protest Hamas’ practice of parading the captives before crowds during handovers. Hamas handed over the remains of four hostages overnight without any public display.
Israel released the 600 prisoners, but the Palestinian prisoners club, a group representing current and former prisoners, said Israel held back the release of 24 Palestinians detained in Gaza after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023 that sparked the war. They include 23 teenagers and men aged 15 to 19 and a woman who is 35. The group were set to be released later on Thursday, along with 22 more minors and one woman whose names were subsequently added to the list.
Israel views the prisoners as terrorists. Palestinians often see them as freedom fighters resisting a decades-long Israeli military occupation.
Nearly every Palestinian has a friend or family member who has been jailed by Israel for militant attacks or lesser offenses such as rock-throwing. Most are convicted in military trials that rights advocates say often lack due process. Some are incarcerated for months or years without trial in what is known as administrative detention. Israel says it’s needed to prevent attacks and avoid sharing sensitive intelligence.
Among those being released overnight into Thursday, 151 had been sentenced to life or long sentences for involvement in deadly attacks against Israelis. Forty-three were to be returned to the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, while 97 were to be sent into exile.
Around 500 others had been detained in Gaza after Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked the war.
Israeli forces have arrested hundreds of people in Gaza and held them without trial. As part of the ceasefire, Israel committed to releasing more than 1,000 detainees who hadn’t participated in the Oct. 7 attack.
A look at some prominent prisoners released since the truce took effect on Jan. 19:
Nael Barghouti, 68
Barghouti, 68, from the West Bank village of Kobar, has spent over 45 years in Israeli prison and was serving a life sentence. Guinness World Records has called him the world’s longest-serving political prisoner. Israel says he is affiliated with Hamas.
First arrested in 1978 for his role in an attack that killed an Israeli bus driver, he was among more than 1,000 prisoners released in 2011 in exchange for an Israeli soldier held by Hamas in Gaza. Israel re-arrested Barghouti in 2014 and says his offenses include intentional manslaughter, membership in an illegal organization, producing a bomb, possessing explosives and conspiracy. He will be deported.
Bilal Abu Ghanem, 31
Ghanem, 31, from east Jerusalem, was serving three life sentences and 60 years for a bus attack in 2015 that killed three Israelis. One of those killed was Richard Lakin, an American educator who marched for civil rights and coexistence between Muslims and Jews.
Ghanem, who Israel says is affiliated with Hamas, will be deported. Israel says his offenses include intentional manslaughter, membership in an illegal organization, building a bomb, possession of explosives and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Ammar Al-Ziben, 50
Al-Ziben, 50, is from Nablus, in the West Bank. He was sentenced to 27 life terms for planning a bombing in a Jerusalem market in 1997 that killed 16 people, including a US citizen.
Israel says he is affiliated with Hamas and his offenses include possession of firearms, incitement, forgery, throwing firebombs and attempted murder. He will be deported.
Ahmed Barghouti, 48
He is a close aide of militant leader and political figure Marwan Barghouti, who is still imprisoned. The two aren’t closely related.
Ahmed Barghouti was given 13 life sentences for dispatching assailants to carry out attacks that killed Israeli civilians during the second intifada, or Palestinian uprising, in the early 2000s. As a commander in Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, an armed offshoot of the secular Fatah Party, he was also convicted of possession of firearms and attempted murder.
He was sent to Egypt.
The Sarahneh brothers
Three brothers from east Jerusalem were released after more than 22 years in prison for their involvement in suicide bombings that killed Israelis during the second intifada. Israeli authorities brought Ibrahim, 55, and Musa, 63, to their homes in the West Bank.
The third brother, Khalil, 45, who was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life in 2002, was sent to Egypt.
Ibrahim Sarahneh’s Ukrainian wife, Irena, had been sentenced to life in prison in 2002 for organizing with her husband a suicide bombing that killed two people in the Israeli city of Rishon Lezion. She was released in 2011 as part of a swap for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas.
The Aweis brothers
Hassan Aweis, 47, and Abdel Karim Aweis, 54, from the occupied West Bank, were released on Saturday after nearly 23 years in prison.
Hassan Aweis was sentenced to life in 2002 on charges of voluntary manslaughter, planting an explosive device and attempted murder. He was involved in planning attacks during the second intifada for the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade.
Abdel Karim Aweis — sentenced to the equivalent of six life sentences for throwing an explosive device, attempted murder and assault, among other charges — was transferred to Egypt.
Iyad Abu Shakhdam, 49
Abu Shakhdam was sentenced to the equivalent of 18 life sentences over his involvement in Hamas attacks that killed dozens of Israelis during the second intifada. They included a suicide bombing that blew up two buses in Beersheba in 2004, killing 16 Israelis, including a 4-year-old.
Abu Shakhdam was arrested in the West Bank in 2004 following a gunfight with Israeli security forces in which he was shot 10 times.
During 21 years in prison, his family said, he finished high school and earned a certificate for psychology courses. He was released on Feb. 8.
Jamal Al-Tawil, 61
Al-Tawil, a prominent Hamas politician in the occupied West Bank, spent nearly two decades in and out of Israeli prisons, in part over allegations that he helped plot suicide bombings.
Most recently, the Israeli military arrested Al-Tawil in 2021, saying he had participated in riots and mobilized Hamas political activists in Ramallah, the seat of the semiautonomous Palestinian Authority, Hamas’ main rival. He was held without charge or trial.
Too weak to walk, Al-Tawil was taken to a hospital after his release in Ramallah on Feb. 8.
Mohammed el-Halabi, 47
The Palestinian manager of the Gaza branch of World Vision, a Christian aid organization, was arrested in 2016 and accused of diverting tens of millions of dollars to Hamas in a case that drew criticism from rights groups. He was freed on Feb. 1.
El-Halabi and World Vision denied the allegations and independent investigations found no proof of wrongdoing.
Zakaria Zubeidi, 49
A prominent militant leader in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade during the second intifada, Zubeidi later became a theater director in the Jenin refugee camp, where he promoted what he described as cultural resistance to Israel.
His jailbreak in 2021 — when he and five others used spoons to tunnel out of one of Israel’s most secure prisons and remained at large for days before being caught — thrilled Palestinians and stunned the Israeli security establishment.
In 2019, after Zubeidi had served years in prison for attacks in the early 2000s, Israel arrested him again, accusing him of being involved in shooting attacks that targeted buses of Israeli settlers but caused no injuries.
Zubeidi had been awaiting trial when he was sentenced to five years in prison for his jailbreak. He was released on Jan. 30 into the West Bank.
Mohammed Odeh, 52, Wael Qassim, 54, and Wissam Abbasi, 48
They hail from east Jerusalem and rose within the ranks of Hamas. Held responsible for deadly attacks during the second intifada, they were handed multiple life sentences in 2002.
They were accused of plotting a suicide bombing at a pool hall near Tel Aviv in 2002 that killed 15 people. Later that year, they were found to have orchestrated a bombing at Hebrew University that killed nine people, including five American students.
All were transferred to Egypt on Jan. 25.
Mohammad Al-Tous, 67
Al-Tous held the title of longest continuously held prisoner in Israel until his release on Jan. 25, Palestinian authorities said.
First arrested in 1985 while fighting Israeli forces along the Jordanian border, the Fatah party activist spent a total of 39 years behind bars. Originally from the West Bank, he was sent into exile.


UAE president to release hundreds of inmates in Ramadan pardon

UAE president to release hundreds of inmates in Ramadan pardon
Updated 27 February 2025
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UAE president to release hundreds of inmates in Ramadan pardon

UAE president to release hundreds of inmates in Ramadan pardon
  • Nearly 1300 inmates receive Ramadan pardon from UAE president

RIYADH: The UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has ordered the release of 1,295 inmates from the nation’s correctional institutions, state news agency WAM reported on Thursday.

Sheikh Mohamed has also pledged to settle any financial obligations of the inmates in a gesture to mark Ramadan.

The UAE president wants to ensure those released can have a fresh start in life, and alleviate any hardship faced by their families.

The aim is to foster stability within their households and the local community, especially during Ramadan, WAM reported.

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Israeli official says the army won’t withdraw from a Gaza corridor in potential jolt to truce

Israeli official says the army won’t withdraw from a Gaza corridor in potential jolt to truce
Updated 27 February 2025
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Israeli official says the army won’t withdraw from a Gaza corridor in potential jolt to truce

Israeli official says the army won’t withdraw from a Gaza corridor in potential jolt to truce
  • Hamas confirmed that over 600 prisoners had been released overnight
  • Israel delayed the release of the prisoners on Saturday over Hamas’ practice of parading hostages

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip: Israel will not withdraw from a strategic corridor in the Gaza Strip as called for by the ceasefire, an official said Thursday. Israel’s refusal could spark a crisis with Hamas and key mediator Egypt at a sensitive moment for the fragile truce.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said Israeli forces needed to remain in the so-called Philadelphi corridor, on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, to prevent weapons smuggling.
The official spoke hours after Hamas released the remains of four hostages in exchange for over 600 Palestinian prisoners, the last planned swap of the ceasefire's first phase, which ends this weekend. Talks over the second and more difficult stage have yet to begin.
Israel was supposed to begin withdrawing from the Philadelphi corridor on Saturday, the last day of the first phase, and complete it within eight days.
Much could hinge on a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is expected in the region in the coming days.
There was no immediate comment from Hamas or Egypt. But in a statement earlier on Thursday, the militant group said the only way for Israel to secure the release of dozens of hostages still held in Gaza was through negotiations and adhering to the ceasefire agreement.
Remains of 4 hostages are identified
The remains released Thursday were confirmed to be those of Ohad Yahalomi, Itzhak Elgarat, Shlomo Mantzur and Tsachi Idan, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents families of the captives.
Mantzur, 85, was killed in Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war, and his body was taken into the territory. The other three were abducted alive and the circumstances surrounding their deaths were not known.
“Our hearts ache upon receiving the bitter news,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said. “In this painful moment, there is some solace in knowing that they will be laid to rest in dignity in Israel.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said he shared the “immense pain” of the family and loved ones of Yahalomi, who had French citizenship.
Hamas confirmed that over 600 prisoners had been released overnight. Most were detainees returned to Gaza, where they had been rounded up after the Oct. 7 attack and held without charge on security suspicions.
A joyful return for released prisoners
Some of the released prisoners fell to their knees in gratitude after disembarking from buses in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. In the West Bank town of Beitunia, dozens of prisoners were welcomed by crowds of relatives and well-wishers.
The released prisoners wore shirts issued by the Israeli prison service bearing a message in Arabic about pursuing one's enemies. Some of the prisoners threw the shirts on the ground or set them on fire.
Israel delayed the release of the prisoners on Saturday over Hamas' practice of parading hostages before crowds and cameras during their release. Israel, along with the Red Cross and U.N. officials, have called the ceremonies humiliating for the hostages.
Hamas released the four bodies to the Red Cross in Gaza overnight without a public ceremony.
The prisoners released Thursday included 445 men, 21 teenagers and one woman, according to lists shared by Palestinian officials that did not specify their ages. Only around 50 Palestinians were released into the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem in this round, while dozens sentenced to life over deadly attacks against Israelis were exiled.
The truce is in peril
The latest handover was the final one planned under the ceasefire’s first six-week phase, which expires this weekend. Hamas has returned 33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Trump's envoy, Witkoff, has said he wants the sides to move into negotiations on the second phase. Those talks were supposed to begin the first week of February.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to return all the hostages and destroy the military and governing capabilities of Hamas, which remains in control of Gaza. The Trump administration has endorsed both goals.
But it's unclear how Israel would destroy Hamas without resuming the war, and Hamas is unlikely to release the remaining hostages — its main bargaining chips — without a lasting ceasefire.
The ceasefire, brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, ended 15 months of war that erupted after Hamas’ 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. About 250 people were taken hostage.
If the identities of the four bodies are confirmed, then 59 captives will remain in Gaza, 32 of whom are believed to be dead. Nearly 150 have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals, while dozens of bodies have been recovered by Israeli forces and eight captives have been rescued alive.
Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, who don't differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths but say over half the dead have been women and children.
The fighting displaced an estimated 90 percent of Gaza’s population and decimated the territory’s infrastructure and health system.


Turkiye’s pro-Kurd party teases ‘historic’ news from PKK leader

Turkiye’s pro-Kurd party teases ‘historic’ news from PKK leader
Updated 27 February 2025
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Turkiye’s pro-Kurd party teases ‘historic’ news from PKK leader

Turkiye’s pro-Kurd party teases ‘historic’ news from PKK leader
  • Ocalan, 75, has been serving life without parole on Imrali prison island since his 1999 arrest in Kenya

Istanbul: Turkiye’s leading pro-Kurd party said it was expecting a “historic declaration” Thursday from the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, amid efforts to end a decades-long conflict with Ankara.
The pro-Kurdish DEM party will send a delegation Thursday to meet Ocalan at his prison on an island off Istanbul, it said in a statement.
The visit, the third in the past few months, comes as Ankara seeks to reset ties with the PKK, which has fought a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
“If everything goes smoothly, tomorrow, we expect Ocalan to make a historic declaration,” said DEM, whose visit to the jailed PKK leader was approved by the justice ministry on Wednesday.
It said there would be a statement to the press following the visit, at about 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT).
The seven-person delegation, which includes Ocalan’s lawyer, Faik Ozgur Erol, would like the PKK leader to make his expected peace appeal in a video message instead of by writing, but the justice ministry has not yet agreed, Turkish media reported.
Ocalan, 75, has been serving life without parole on Imrali prison island since his 1999 arrest in Kenya.
But starting in late December, he has been twice visited by two DEM lawmakers who then briefed the parliamentary parties on the content of their talks.
The dialogue with Ocalan is an initiative of ultra-nationalist political leader Devlet Bahceli, a close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and has led to growing anticipation that Ocalan will soon issue a public call to his fighters to lay down their arms, in exchange for concessions for the country’s Kurdish minority.
PKK leaders, who are mostly based in the mountains of northern Iraq, could then relay Ocalan’s message, Turkish media said.
But the extent of Ocalan’s appeal is uncertain.
Thursday’s delegation includes DEM co-chairs Tulay Hatimogullari and Tuncer Bakirhan, and veteran Kurdish politician Ahmet Turk, 82, who has a long history of involvement in efforts to resolve the Kurdish issue.
Deputy speaker Sirri Sureyya Onder and lawmaker Pervin Buldan, who were both part of the earlier delegations, will also go, as will another DEM lawmaker.
The conflict between PKK rebels and the Turkish state, which erupted in 1984, has claimed more than 40,000 lives.
A previous round of peace talks collapsed in a storm of violence in 2015, after which the Turkish government cut off all contact.