This evening CBS' "60 Minutes" will be broadcasting a segment on Palestinian Christians that is expected to be highly critical of Israel. Below is a facts sheet, along with links to materials that will assist in responding with the facts.

Background:
On Sunday, April 22nd at 7:00pm, CBS’ "60 Minutes" program will cover a story about "Christians of the Holy Land."

Content:
The discourse should focus primarily on the biased portrayal of Israel in the program. "60 Minutes" will likely attempt to demonize Israel and blame it for the very real problems that the Christian community faces within the territories. The fact of the matter remains that their difficult position is not a result of Israeli policy, but rather because of social, political and cultural pressure within the Palestinian society and Palestinian policy toward Israel (ex: terror activities and their refusal to negotiate a peace agreement). Further, the program is being incredibly manipulative in interviewing Christians on camera. The Palestinian Christian community is insecure in the region (see sources below) and unlikely to state anything that can negatively influence their status within the Palestinian Authority or jeopardize the status of the Christian brethren in Gaza.

It is important to note we suspect that CBS’ referral to the “holy land” will exclude Israel and Gaza. Meaning, that we do not think that they will similarly address the situation of the Christian community in these areas.

We expect that "60 Minutes" will select examples that are not a reflection of Israeli policy towards Christian but rather of security concerns (ex: issues related to the security fence and issues related to demolition orders for projects that were not properly licensed). These examples will attempt to manipulate the viewer to believe that Israel pressures the Palestinian community to flee the region.

Once we have seen the program we will be able to provide you with more relevant examples to counteract the allegations made on Sunday. Please feel free to contact us in the interim if you require additional information and please see the resources below.