The believing community in the Holy Land today is far from resembling the reconciled body which we are called to be in the Kingdom of God.

“Look around the room at the people here with us.” A collection of Palestinian Christian, Messianic Jewish and international Christian youth leaders sat around the conference room.

“Does it really work?” This is the first question that people ask when they hear about Musalaha. It is difficult to imagine what kind of impact “Desert Encounters” and Conferences can have in a situation where pain is great, emotion runs high and no political solution is in sight.

“…and this is why there is conflict between the Arabs and Jews in the Middle East,” declared the narrator from the tape in the car radio. My family and I were driving through the countryside, listening to the Bible on tape. “It all goes back to Isaac and Ishmael.”

Reconciliation is not an easy path. Believers in the Messiah find it a challenging process. The mandate for reconciliation is very clear in the Scriptures, yet the challenge lies in how we apply the Biblical teaching in our daily life.

Musalaha recently conducted a research project for the Palestinian Bible Society, the purpose of which was to identify organizations in Jerusalem involved in reconciliation and peacebuilding. We looked at over 120 organizations which we evaluated by their target groups and type of work.

As Israeli and Palestinian believers, we usually focus on our theological differences, but we are unaware of the greater political and societal differences. Recently, I was speaking with one of my colleagues from the Hebrew University, a professor who has done a lot of work on bringing Israelis and Palestinians together.

As the Christmas season approaches, I reflect on the events leading to the birth of Jesus and its relevance for us today. I am struck with the depth and insight God gives to us through different characters and situations in this story.

As the conflict in our region has continued for ten months, the sad news of innocent victims, including children and babies, has tragically become a regular occurrence.

In regions of conflict, the roles that women play in society prime them for their unique contributions to reconciliation activities.