Study

The UCC Palestine Israel Network (UCC PIN) recommends the following resources for continued study.

Books

  • Blood Brothers: The Dramatic Story of a Palestinian Christian Working for Peace in Israel, by Elias Chacour. Updated Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014.
  • Faith in the Face of Empire: The Bible through Palestinian Eyes, by Mitri Raheb. Orbis Books, 2014.
  • Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation, by Naim Ateek. Orbis Books, 1989.
  • Mornings in Jenin: A Novel, by Susan Abulhawa.
  • The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East, by Sandy Tolan. New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2006.

The following two books explore Biblical land claims:

  • Chosen? Reading the Bible amid the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, by Walter Brueggemann. Westminster John Knox Press, 2015.
  • Whose Land? Whose Promise? What Christians are not being told about Israel and the Palestinians, by Gary Burge. Revised and Updated. The Pilgrim Press, 2013.

A more comprehensive list of books can be found here: Recommended reading

Films

  • 5 Broken Cameras  90 minutes. From the publisher: “A deeply personal, first-hand account of non-violent resistance in Bil’in, a West Bank village threatened by encroaching Israeli settlements. Shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, the filmmakers’ collaboration follows one family’s evolution over five years of village turmoil.”
  • Imprisoning a Generation  50 minutes. From the publisher: “A documentary film which follows the stories of four young Palestinians who have been detained and imprisoned under the Israeli military system. Their perspectives, along with the voices of their families, combine to form a lens into the entangled structures of oppression that expand well beyond the prison walls.
  • Martin Luther King in Palestine  93 minutes. From the publisher: “The glorious strains of gospel music wash over the West Bank in Field’s potent film. This dynamic and complex work is born of a brilliantly simple idea: what would happen if African-American Christians—the same group who served as exemplars of the Civil Rights Movement—could witness first-hand the plight of Palestinians today?
  • Occupation 101  1 hour 28 minutes. From the publisher: “A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand on-the-ground experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been suppressed in American media outlets.” Can be viewed on YouTube.
  • Occupation of the American Mind  84 minutes. From the publisher: “Narrated by Roger Waters and featuring leading observers of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the film explores how the Israeli government, the US government, and the pro-Israel lobby have joined forces, often with very different motives and interests, to shape American media coverage of the conflict in Israel’s favor. The result is a stunning look at how — and why — American media coverage of the conflict regularly minimizes the occupation, vilifies critics of Israeli policy, and dehumanizes the Palestinian people.”

A more comprehensive list of films can be found here: Films on Palestine Portal

Study Guides for Individuals and Small Groups

  • Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth, A Word of Faith, Hope and Love from Palestinian Suffering, 2009. In this historic document, Palestinian Christians declare that the military occupation of their land is a sin against God and humanity, and that any theology that legitimizes the occupation is far from Christian teachings, because true Christian theology is a theology of love and solidarity with the oppressed, a call to justice and equality among peoples. 
  • Steadfast Hope: The Palestinian Quest for Just Peace
  • Why Palestine Matters: The Struggle to End Colonialism
  • Zionism Unsettled: A Congregational Study Guide  The Zionism Unsettled study guide includes a special focus on Zionism, Christian Zionism and competing land claims.

On-line News and Analysis

Travel to the Holy Land

The following groups provide “responsible travel” tours to the Holy Land, also called “alternative travel” tours.