Recommended Reading
Building Bridges by Fouad Elias Accad
"Fouad Accad grew up in Lebanon and spent most of his life there building bridges between individual followers of Christianity and followers of Islam. His passion was to bring two communities together-Muslim and Christian. What Accad built were bridges of understanding, communication, and love.
"Building Bridges provides personal experiences based on a lifetime of understanding the Arab world as well as research and analysis of the texts of the Qur'an and the Bible to show the similarities between the two. This book supplies readers with the information, concrete examples, and insights necessary when dialoguing with Muslims.
"If you want to reach out to Muslims around you, Building Bridges will equip you to build relationships of mutual respect and trust."
Jesus and the Land by Gary Burge
"This accessible volume describes first-century Jewish and Christian beliefs about the land of Israel and offers a full survey of New Testament passages that directly address the question of land and faith. Respected New Testament scholar Gary M. Burge examines present-day tensions surrounding "territorial religion" in the modern Middle East, helping contemporary Christians develop a Christian theology of the land and assess Bible-based claims in discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle."
Palestinian Memories: The Story of a Palestinian Mother and her People by Alex Awad
"In his book, Palestinian Memories: The Story of a Palestinian Mother and Her People, Rev. Awad shares his mother's story, a story that epitomizes the tragedy of the Al Nakba (the Catastrophe of 1948). Part One tells the dramatic and moving story of Huda and her family from the Ottoman Period until the present. When his father was shot in front of his home in East Jerusalem, his mother Huda escaped with her seven children and was left to raise them on her own. While studying to be a registered nurse, she supported her children's education and held the family together. Her story of courage, determination, and personal faith in Jesus Christ will come as a great encouragement to Christians throughout the world and at the same time will shed much light on the Palestinian Christian and Muslim communities in the Holy Land and the difficulties they face under Israeli occupation."
I am a Palestinian Christian by Mitri Raheb
"Raheb, a Christian pastor in Bethlehem, explores the recent history of the Palestinian Christians, and the complex meeting of the world's three major monotheistic religions."
The Land of Christ: A Palestinian Cry! Bethlehem by Yohanna Katanacho. Bethlehem Bible College, 2012 (Not yet released).
Films
The Little Town of Bethlehem
"Little Town of Bethlehem, a documentary film, follows the story of three men of three different faiths and their lives in Israel and Palestine. The story explores each man’s choice of nonviolent action amidst a culture of overwhelming violence.
"The film examines the struggle to promote equality through nonviolent engagement in the midst of incredible violence that has dehumanized all sides. Sami’s story begins as a young boy living in the Israeli-occupied West Bank; Yonatan’s starts on an Israeli military base; and Ahmad’s begins in a Palestinian refugee camp.
"Their three stories are interwoven through the major events of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, starting with the 1972 massacre at the Munich Olympics and following through the first Intifada, suicide bombings in Israel, the Oslo Accords, the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin, and the second Intifada. Sami, Yonatan, and Ahmad each describe the events from their unique perspective, interjecting personal reflections and explaining how these events led them to become involved in the nonviolence movement."
With God on Our Side
"With God On Our Side takes a look at the theology of Christian Zionism, which teaches that because the Jews are God's chosen people, they have a divine right to the land of Israel. Aspects of this belief system lead some Christians in the West to give uncritical support to Israeli government policies, even those that privilege Jews at the expense of Palestinians, leading to great suffering among Muslim and Christian Palestinians alike and threatening Israel's security as a whole.
"This film demonstrates that there is a biblical alternative for Christians who want to love and support the people of Israel, a theology that doesn't favor one people group over another but instead promotes peace and reconciliation for both Jews and Palestinians."