Cut off

Persecution | Each year Israel denies basic rights to its own citizens—because they are not Jews | Warren Smith

JERUSALEM— Dr. Salim Munayer is relaxed, leaning back in his small but welcoming office in South Jerusalem. He almost bumps his head on a bookcase sagging with volumes on Christian theology, history, and Israel. He is quick to offer coffee and other courtesies to guests with questions about Christians in Israel, his homeland.

He encourages the questions, but finally he leans forward and his voice, though not loud, takes on a fierce edge. He finds it "appalling and frustrating" that American evangelicals are ignorant about Israel's history and politics: "Yes, there is persecution against Christians and yes, the Israeli government is the source of much of it. That is the simple truth."

Munayer's ministry, Musalaha (Arabic for "reconciliation"), conducts seminars and extended retreats into the Israeli desert to bring together Messianic Jewish Christians, Palestinian Christians, and others. A recent trip took 38 Palestinian and Israeli teenagers into the Negev Desert. Musalaha also conducts young adult desert trips, summer day camps for children, and youth leader training that focuses on biblical principles and peacemaking.