The World Council of Churches gathered in Jordan on Monday to demand an end to Israel's “occupation” of its biblical heartland, while conspicuously forgetting to make any mention of their besieged Christian brothers and sisters who are now living under strict Islamic rule in Gaza.
Following the gathering, the Geneva-based church body that claims to represent some 560 million Christians worldwide announced the launch a global campaign to put as much pressure as possible on Israel to surrender Judea and Samaria to the Palestinian Arabs.
“The initiative aims at calling on all churches to work seriously for putting an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands [sic],” read a statement released by the council.
The conference took place just days after Hamas completed its military conquest of the Gaza Strip and affiliated terror groups warned local Christians to come in line with strict Islamic religious law.
And to make sure Gaza's Christians got the point, Hamas-aligned militants sacked and burned a Catholic church and adjacent convent in Gaza City.
The World Council of Churches was completely mum on the treatment of fellow Christians by their new Hamas overlords.
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Behind the crocodile tears Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas shed after Hamas militants sacked a Catholic compound in Gaza City lies the fact that his own men similarly abused and endangered local Christians at the height of last week's civil war.
As Hamas forces advanced through Gaza City, members of the Palestinian Authority security forces loyal to Abbas demanded entrance to the Gaza Baptist Church, the only Evangelical church in the coastal strip, in order to use the place of worship as a lookout post.
Pastor Hanna Massad told the Associated Baptist Press that when he refused to open the gates, the officers forced their way in and seized control of the church. He later found that Abbas' men had stolen about $4,000 worth of computers and other electronic equipment.
International law enshrined in the Geneva Conventions forbids the use of religious sites and places of worship as military positions during an armed conflict, a stipulation that is regularly ignored in the Muslim Middle East.
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 distressing and worrying development is unfolding in our Negev, far from the State's decision-making centers. Every night some 40 to 50 African refugees cross the Israeli-Egyptian border; they raise their hands and turn themselves in to the Israeli forces. According to IDF data, from the beginning of the year up until last week some 12,000 refugees and labor seekers from various African countries came through the Egyptian border and the quota is growing daily.  
Israeli troops, generally sensitive reserve soldiers, check the refugees to ascertain they are not terrorists and then they take their "guests" into the military base. They provide them with showers, food and water, diapers, baby formula, and basic medicine for those in need. After a few hours the refugees are loaded onto trucks and transported to the Emek Sara industrial zone on the outskirts of Beer Sheba where they are left to their fate.  
Seeking help  
From Darfur to Eilat: Refugees' new life / Tamar Dressler  
About 400 Sudanese refugees who crossed border into Israel from Egypt are working in Dead Sea and Eilat hotels, while 170 of them, including 40 toddlers, live in southern Kibbutz Eilot. Due to lack of official ...   more »

Some 400 Tel Aviv policemen train Wednesday for Thursday's pride parade in Jerusalem, prepare for violence by protestors. Meanwhile, haredim continue to demonstrate against parade across country
Some 400 policemen of the Tel Aviv District police held drills Wednesday ahead of the gay pride parade, scheduled to take place in Jerusalem Thursday. The officers will join the Jerusalem police in securing the parade.  
The police are taking very seriously the possibility that disturbances at the event will result in violence, and officers practiced the
use of clubs and shields in case this happens.  
Meanwhile, despite an official notice published by the rabbis of the United Torah Judaism Tuesday calling on haredim not to demonstrate against the parade, violent protests ensued across Israel. Police arrested 12 haredim in Bnei Brak, including eight teens, for hurling stones at cars during the night. Two of them were later released.  
Disturbances also took place at strictly-Orthodox neighborhoods in the capital, including Givat Shaul, Meah Shearim, Beit Yisrael and Bait Vagan. The Jerusalem police arrested seven people on suspicion of throwing stones and clashing with officers. Four policemen were injured in the incidents; three of them were evacuated to the hospital.
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IsraelNN.com) The Council of Rabbis for Yesha (Judea, Samaria and Gaza) has appealed to the public to join a protest scheduled for 5 p.m. (10 a.m. EDT) Thursday on Agron Street near King David Street. "We will bodily block the shameful parade" of homosexuals and lesbians," said the rabbis.
They quoted a Biblical passage that the Land of Israel will throw out its inhabitants when they do not keep Torah commandments and instead live in abomination. "The idea of renewing the parade of abomination is a threat to the People of Israel," they added. "It is unbelievable how government officials strengthen the hand of those whose sins threaten to end the community of Israel."
The rabbis emphasized to protest in a legal and acceptable way.
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