A group of Philippine mothers and children facing imminent deportation from Israel are finding some solace in their faith, with weekly prayer meetings and counseling from their parish priest and nuns.

Appealing to Israel and the United States, Archbishop Michel Sabbah, retired Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said it was time to move away from war.

According to Father David Neuhaus, the Israeli political leadership in recent years has “only mouthed support” for a peace process that concludes with two independent states “and now no longer does even that.”

Israel’s upcoming election, which takes place on April 9, is casting uncertainty over House of Grace’s future.

According to Father Elias Mallon, a Franciscan Friar who is the external affairs officer of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, the likelihood of a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appears ever unlikely.

Rasha Nahas: “The story I bring with me being a Palestinian artist born in Haifa.”