Articles

by David Blewett
originally published as an NCLCI Backgrounder
August 1998

Once again the world has seen grim pictures of terrorist bombings, this time in Kenya and Tanzania. It is no accident that an Israeli search and rescue team took the lead in going through the rubble looking for survivors. The terrorist bombings in Israel have made them experts at that difficult task. But have you ever wondered what happens to survivors of such a bombing? Not long ago I learned what happens in Israeli hospitals, and it is a remarkable story.  Read More

by David Blewett
originally published as an NCLCI Backgrounder
August 1997

I have always recognized terrorism as a heinous criminal act against innocent people. Each attack has been like a kick in the chest that takes my breath away and steals any kind of happiness that I might have been feeling. But my reaction to last weeks’ terrorist bombs in the busy Mehane Yehuda market in central Jerusalem was different . . . my friend Petra was in the market when two bombs went off.  Read More

By David Blewett  In July 2004, the 216th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) addressed several issues that dealt with the Middle East conflict; one of those issues has dominated public discussion for the past several months. In an attempt to move the Palestinian cause from words to action, the Presbyterian General Assembly voted 431 to 62 to direct the church’s committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment to look into the possibility of selective divestment of church holdings in multinational corporations that do business in Israel. Use of the word “divestment” set off a fire storm of protest from a wide variety of Christians and Jews, including a large number of Presbyterian pastors, professors, and lay people in churches, colleges and seminaries throughout this country and in Israel.  Read More