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**CO2490pL** · 03-06-2012, 05:37 AM

Dear Jason H.,

Thanks for posting the article on the Church of the Nativity. I too am glad to see the P.A. is trying to fund renovation work.

A recent article provides an update on the topic:

PA struggles to fund Bethlehem church renovation
Published Tuesday 13/12/2011 (updated)

113801_345x230.jpg

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority is struggling to raise funds for a planned renovation to Bethlehem's iconic Church of the Nativity, a Palestinian official said Monday.

Ziad Bandak, presidential adviser for Christian affairs and head of the Nativity Church restoration committee, says the PA has raised about $1.6 million of the nearly $15 million needed for a major roof renovation.

"The major issue is the issue of funding," Bandak told reporters in Bethlehem. He says the government and local businesses have offered the bulk of the money secured so far, along with a $100,000 grant from Hungary in response to an international appeal for assistance.

"The first who paid $1 million was the Palestinians, from the Palestinian treasury," after President Mahmoud Abbas established a committee in 2009 to carry out work on the church's leaky roof, he says.

The problem with the roof has been exacerbated for centuries, as one authority after another ignored it. Under Ottoman, British, Jordanian and Israeli rule, only cosmetic improvements were made. Now that Palestinians have nominal control of Bethlehem, the PA wants to prove it is up to the challenge.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=444727 Kind Regards

03-06-2012, 05:37 AM	#2
CO2490pL Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 437 Senior Member	Dear Jason H., Thanks for posting the article on the Church of the Nativity. I too am glad to see the P.A. is trying to fund renovation work. A recent article provides an update on the topic: PA struggles to fund Bethlehem church renovation Published Tuesday 13/12/2011 (updated) 113801_345x230.jpg BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian Authority is struggling to raise funds for a planned renovation to Bethlehem's iconic Church of the Nativity, a Palestinian official said Monday. Ziad Bandak, presidential adviser for Christian affairs and head of the Nativity Church restoration committee, says the PA has raised about $1.6 million of the nearly $15 million needed for a major roof renovation. "The major issue is the issue of funding," Bandak told reporters in Bethlehem. He says the government and local businesses have offered the bulk of the money secured so far, along with a $100,000 grant from Hungary in response to an international appeal for assistance. "The first who paid $1 million was the Palestinians, from the Palestinian treasury," after President Mahmoud Abbas established a committee in 2009 to carry out work on the church's leaky roof, he says. The problem with the roof has been exacerbated for centuries, as one authority after another ignored it. Under Ottoman, British, Jordanian and Israeli rule, only cosmetic improvements were made. Now that Palestinians have nominal control of Bethlehem, the PA wants to prove it is up to the challenge. http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=444727 Kind Regards
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