I saw a couple of recent stories about Christians in the Holy Land. There was this article about Bethlehem:
http://religionnews.com/2017/12/19/in-christs-birthplace-olive-wood-artisans-carry-on-a-holy-land-tradition/
Here are my favorite media critics looking at that article:
https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/struggling-to-keep-olive-wood-traditions-alive-in-bethlehem
This article covers the Christian exodus from the West Bank, as seen from the point of view of the Christian hog butcher of Beit Jala:
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/1.830920
I thought they made for interesting Christmas reading. Trump made his announcement about Jerusalem in response to the shenanigans at the United Nations; I do not think he intended it to be connected in any way with either Hanukkah or Christmas.



I posted these articles because I saw Trump getting blamed for violent Palestinians being violent Palestinians.
http://thehill.com/policy/international/middle-east-north-africa/366500-bethlehem-mayor-we-toned-down-christmas
First off, Donald Trump could disappear tomorrow, and all the usual suspects will continue to make excuses for Palestinians, as you say, being Palestinians. There’s a damn good reason Gulf State Arabs want nothing to do with them.
Second, while Bibi is pretty friendly to Christianity in general… witness his proud “Merry Christmas” message… there IS a good deal of resentment of Christians in Israel in some major quarters… namely the Ultra-Orthodox guys, and to some extent, more left wing Israelis, especially in the Labor Party, who continue to equate “Christianity” to “Threat”. Europe was Christian, Hitler and the Inquisition was European, connect to the dots, etc etc. I have some sense that the general Israeli population is more on Bibi’s side of the divide than not, but that still leaves a pretty sizable chunk of hostile people.
More on how its all Trump’s fault:
http://english.wafa.ps/page.aspx?id=NJKkbqa95774904390aNJKkbq
Yeah, it’s all Trump’s fault. Except that, as you say, violent Palestinians are just being their usual selves, which they would be Trump or no Trump. The peace process is a joke.
More than a joke, it’s a travesty.
The Arabs have tried, formally, 4 times to “push Israel into the sea.” Not only had that not worked, they got thoroughly whipped. ?At what point is land won by righteous warfare not theirs.
The PROPER answer to the “Palestinian Question” is that they are citizens of Israel and should be dealt with as a rebellion within Israel’s borders, not some independent group. There has never been a “Palestinian” people – NEVER – until the West decided to interfere in the proper business of the nation of Israel.
I feel strongly about this and I’m not Jewish.
Churchill’s father was the third son of the seventh Duke of Marlborough.
Typed in wrong window.