Bethlehem Church of the Nativity priest denied visa to speak at US event

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…