BRIEFING
Rate of attacks on Gaza healthcare currently highest in global conflict
THE rate of attacks per month on healthcare in Gaza since the beginning of the war has been higher than in any other recent conflict globally, standing at an average of 73 attacks each month, according to new analysis by Save the Children. There have so far been at...
Sharp increase in school leaders in England reporting spending cuts
THREE quarters (74 per cent) of primary school headteachers report having to reduce the number of teaching assistants at their school this year, according to new polling. This is despite increases in pupils with Special Educational Needs, with an increase of 19 per...
Unwanted moves cost renters £550 million a year
NEW research from Shelter shows unwanted private rental moves in England are costing £550 million per year – with renters spending on average £669 in unrecoverable costs for every forced move. Shelter’s analysis of YouGov figures reveal there were an estimated 830,000...
ClientEarth launches new legal approach ahead of EU elections
WITH LESS than two months remaining before the EU elections, the environmental legal NGO ClientEarth is spearheading a call for a paradigm shift in EU decision-making processes to address the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises; and ensure people and the planet...
Greenpeace confronts deep sea mining industry at London summit
DEEP SEA MINING representatives were confronted by an inflatable octopus higher than a double-decker bus at one of the deep sea mining industry’s annual summits in London to demand a stop to this destructive industry. Greenpeace activists protested outside the Canary...
COMMENTARY
The traumatic identity of the Armenian Genocide
MANY decades ago, when my bones were less creaky and when I was a happy-go-lucky young lad with hardly any serious responsibilities, I used to sit next to my maternal grandfather and listen intently to his nostalgic stories. I was very fond of my granddad – médzbaba...
Threatened with resurrection
Luke 24. 36b – 58; Acts 3. 12-19; Psalm 4. “They were startled and terrified… Jesus said to them, why are you frightened and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” AT THE VERY core of Christian believing is the conviction that – despite persistent appearances to the...
The two child limit: a cruel and unfair false economy
EVERY CHILD born in the UK, whatever their circumstances, is a member of our society. Society has a choice – we can do our best to support and nurture those children, to help them grow into healthy, happy adults, or we can turn our backs on them, allow them to...
Scotland, gender reform and law: difference and common ground
ISSUES around gender identity, wider equality, law and policy have been much in the news recently. A Scottish government attempt to overturn the UK government veto of a bill to make it easier to change legal gender failed. But Scotland’s leaders are pressing ahead...
Can we dare to hope when it comes to Israel-Palestine?
I DECIDED several weeks ago that it was time to write another article for Ekklesia, following a long absence from its web pages. Ekklesia published my second book in 2019, and may hopefully be able to produce an edited and updated second edition in the near future. So...
MEDIA
UPDATES
Gaza news updates and truth-sourcing
IT HAS long been said that truth is the first casualty in war. In the age of digital technology, social media, AI and deepfakes, that awful reality has been turbo-charged. The continuing bombardment and assault on Gaza and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are prime...
Stations of the Cross for Gaza
WE ARE grateful to our friends at Christians for Palestine for producing a moving set of meditations and prayers for Gaza, using the traditional form of the Stations of the Cross, which depict Jesus's path to crucifixion. In commending these reflections we remember...
Confronting Christian Zionism and advocating for peace and justice
JOIN the Rev Dr Munther Isaac for a thought-provoking online conversation (6:30pm UK time, Sunday 4th February) on combatting Christians Zionism and empowering people of faith to advocate for Palestinian liberation. This will be an insightful discussion, shedding...