Just Released: "Human Rights of Christians in Palestinian Society" by Justus Reid Weiner




Announcing the publication of

Human Rights of Christians in Palestinian Society

Justus Reid Weiner


 On the heels of the Gaza disengagement, which was intended to enable the
Palestinian Authority to improve the lives of its people, few journalists
have reported on the acutely trying times facing the Christians residing in
areas "governed" by the Palestinian Authority. In his book, Professor
Weiner, Scholar-in-Residence at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs,
provides an in-depth look at the nearly uninterrupted persecution of
Christians throughout the decade since the Oslo peace process began.

Living amidst a xenophobic Muslim population plagued by endemic violence
bordering on anarchy, the Christians have shrunk to less than 1.7 percent
of the population in the Palestinian areas. "Tens of thousands have
abandoned their holy sites and ancestral properties to live abroad, while
those who remain do so as a beleaguered and dwindling minority," Weiner
writes.

"Their plight is, in part, attributable to the adoption of Muslim religious
law (Sharia) in the Constitution of the Palestinian Authority. Moreover,
the Christians have been abandoned by their religious leaders who, instead
of protecting them, have chosen to curry favor with the Palestinian
leadership." Professor Weiner's book reveals and analyzes why this
persecution - largely ignored by the international community, the media,
and even prominent human rights organizations - has metastasized to the
extent that it threatens the very existence of this 2000-year-old community.

Human Rights of Christians in Palestinian Society is available online
without charge at:
<http://www.jcpa.org/text/Christian-Persecution-Weiner.pdf>http://www.jcpa.org/text/Christian-Persecution-Weiner.pdf
(1.4M PDF file).

This 55-page monograph is also available from www.amazon.com ($15). In
Israel, it is available from the Jerusalem Center (NIS 45 + NIS 15 shipping
and handling) and may be ordered by fax or email.


Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 13 Tel-Hai St., Jerusalem, Israel;
Tel. 972-2-561-9281, Fax. 972-2-561-9112, Email: jcpa at netvision.net.il.
Website: www.jcpa.org.