Father Issa Thaljieh was scheduled to address American Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant clergy on Monday at the United Methodist Building to speak out against Israeli settler attacks. Following the entry refusal, Thaljieh's sister, Honey Thaljieh, will now take his place on stage alongside other Palestinian faith leaders. Organizers plan to use the gathering to press lawmakers to halt weapons transfers to Israel and demand accountability for settler and military actions. The event features a reading from a 120-yard memorial cloth listing over 20,000 children killed in the Gaza conflict.
Key points
Faith leaders in Washington are specifically mobilizing to urge Congress to restrict Unit…: Faith leaders in Washington are specifically mobilizing to urge Congress to restrict United States weapons transfers to Israel.
Successive visa rejections have hindered Palestinian clergy members from directly engagin…: Successive visa rejections have hindered Palestinian clergy members from directly engaging American audiences on regional violence.
The Gaza Children's Shroud memorial will continue touring the capital area, including an…: The Gaza Children's Shroud memorial will continue touring the capital area, including an upcoming appearance at the Islamic Center of Maryland.
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Father Issa Thaljieh, the Palestinian parish priest at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, has been denied a US visa to speak alongside American clergy next week on the gravity of Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villages.
Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant leaders are set to gather at the United Methodist Building near the US Capitol on Monday to demand that Congress hold accountable both settlers and the Israeli military, and also curb US weapons transfers to Israel.
"Pressure in Congress is building. In September, 46 Democratic senators and Republican Rand Paul voted for Senator Chris Van Hollen’s measure demanding a State Department report on Israeli abuses in the West Bank, including the killings of nine Americans there since 2022," the group Orthodox Christians for Palestine (OCP), one of the organisers, said in a press release.
The gathering also comes two weeks after Democrats won a landslide victory in the US midterm elections, taking both chambers of Congress and a slew of state legislatures, vowing to condition aid to Israel and stop taking campaign funds…
Federal authorities are continuing to evaluate allegations regarding Alice Huang while counterintelligence officials examine the scope of the case. The Department of Justice is holding off on formal findings until the active inquiry wraps up. The outcome could carry broader national security implications once investigators conclude their assessment.
Party officials and strategists are preparing to govern with majorities in both chambers of Congress after securing their strongest midterm results in 50 years. The two-day gathering in Colorado aims to unify traditional left-center factions while elevating a younger generation of leaders. Additionally, local leaders are using the convention platform to showcase the host city as a viable contender for the 2028 national convention.
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