News and Resources
LWF Jerusalem Program News
News and updates for the LWF Jerusalem Program can be found here.
- News Archives
- ELCA presiding bishop says land occupation is counter-productive to peace, two-state solution
- Bishop Younan, Religious Leaders Issue Statement Condemning Violence around Holy Site in Jerusalem
- LWF Jerusalem Program & AVH Featured in Documentary by Greater Chicago Broadcast Ministries and Tim Frakes Productions
- ELCA Calls on U.S. Congress to Provide Assistance for East Jerusalem Hospitals
- Faith-Based Organizations Call for End to Iraq Violence
- Tribute to Staff on World Humanitarian Day 2014
- AVH Medical Team Returns to Jerusalem
- Augusta Victoria Hospital dispatches a medical team to Gaza Strip
- HELP US REACH OUT – Join the #Ceasefire4Gaza Thunderclap Campaign
- LWF: Abide by International Law in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Holy Land Lutheran Bishop Younan Pleads for an End to Revenge and Bloodshed
- Aid Organizations Address Health Care Crisis in Gaza
- 34 organizations call for a ceasefire and sustained solution towards peace
- ELCA Peace Not Walls Action Alert for Augusta Victoria Hospital
- ‘Time for Israeli-Palestinian peace is now,’ say ELCA bishop, U.S. religious leaders
- LWF President Younan to Join Pope Francis in Prayer at the Vatican on Pentecost Sunday
- The Vocational Training Center Opens Refurbished Plumbing/HVAC Department
- 2013 LWF Jerusalem Annual Report Now Available
- Augusta Victoria Hospital launches mobile diabetes clinic
- Augusta Victoria Hospital Needs Urgent Financial Assistance
- LWF Affirms Steadfast Commitment to the Management of AVH and the Patients It Serves
- 36 Aid Agencies Call for End to Demolitions
- LWF Vocational Training Program Graduates 236
- “Refrain from Military Action” in Syria
- U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer commends Augusta Victoria Hospital staff
- LWF Prioritizes Children’s Needs among Syrian Refugees at Za’atri Camp
- Augusta Victoria Hospital becomes first Palestinian hospital with multiple specialties to receive certification from the Joint Commission International (JCI)
- LWF Jerusalem Program Releases 2012 Annual Report
- Church in Jordan and the Holy Land becomes WCC member
- Syrian refugees in Jordan continue to receive assistance from the Lutheran World Federation
- Augusta Victoria Hospital: Providing Palestine’s Most Advanced Cancer Care
- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Speaks about visit to Augusta Victoria Hospital in New York Times Opinion Piece
- LWF President and General Secretary Urge Parties to Honor Gaza Ceasefire
- 44 aid agencies warn of humanitarian disaster in Gaza if military confrontation is not stopped
- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter leads delegation on visit to the Lutheran World Federation in Jerusalem
- Founded to Give Hope in the West Bank
- Jerusalem Health Institution Protects Patients’ Right to Human Dignity
- Preparing Syrian Refugees in Jordanian Desert for Harsh Winter Months
- LWF Seeks Emergency Program Manager for Jordan
- LWF President Younan Calls for Syrian-Led Dialogue Process
- LWF to Assist Syrian Refugees in Jordan
- Mobile Mammography Unit Reaches Far into the West Bank
- LWF Vocational Training Program Celebrates Graduation of 60th Class
- Auto Mechanics Course Offered in Remote Village
- Vocational Training Program Offers Hope for Unemployed Youth
- VTP Partners With the Palestinian Red Crescent Society to Offer Vocational Training to Deaf Students
- LWF Jerusalem 2011 Annual Report: Building Institutions of Excellence for an Emerging State
- LWF Congratulates Palestinian Lutheran Pastor Raheb for German Media Prize
- WCC General Secretary and Norwegian Representative to the Palestinian Authority Visit Augusta Victoria Hospital
- Mrs. Ban Soon-taek, wife of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, visits the LWF Jerusalem campus
- LWF Department for World Service – DWS Certification Shows People at Center of Humanitarian Response
- Merry Christmas from LWF Jerusalem!
- World Diabetes Day 2011 Celebrated at Augusta Victoria Hospital
- East Jerusalem Conference on Faith Based Health Care Opens at Augusta Victoria Hospital
- 2011 Olive Harvest Underway
- Jerusalem – IAEA gives LWF’s Augusta Victoria Hospital green light
- Announcement: Staff Changes in Jerusalem Office
- ELCA Presiding Bishop Calls on President Obama to Support a Just Peace
- ACT Alliance Calls for an End to Political Stalemate
- 98 Youth Graduate from LWF Vocational Training Center in Jerusalem
- Palestinian agreement sign of hope, Tveit says
- LWF Jerusalem 2010 Annual Report: Listening to the Cry of Our Neighbor
- U.S. Government Provides Augusta Victoria Hospital with New Radiation Therapy System
- Amidst Upheaval in Middle East, LWF Calls for Just Peace in Holy Land
- Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
- Bishop Younan Addresses Vatican Synod on the Middle East
- Children in Threatened Village Receive School and Health Materials from LWF and MA’AN Development Center
- The Right Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan, Palestinian Bishop, Elected President of the Lutheran World Federation
- LWF Executive Committee Welcomes "Clear and Forceful" Middle East Quartet Statement on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Dr. Jill Biden, the Second Lady of the United States of America, Visits Augusta Victoria Hospital
- Visit of Quartet Representative Tony Blair
- Merry Christmas!
- Volunteers Support LWF Jerusalem Program
- It’s ‘Back to School’ for LWF’s Vocational Trainees
- LWF Department for World Service Releases 2008 Annual Report
- ELCA Presiding Bishop Welcomes President's Remarks on U.S.-Muslim Relations
- Anniversary Celebrations Mark Lutheran Church Witness in Holy Land
- LWF Jerusalem Publishes 2008 Annual Report
- LWF Reiterates Support for Holy Land Vision of Peace, Urges Ceasefire in Gaza
- Statement by Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, General Secretary, on the conflict in the Gaza Strip
- Merry Christmas from the LWF Jerusalem Program
- LWF Consultation on Peace and Human Rights in a Multifaith Context
- LWF General Secretary Appeals for Dialogue for Just Peace in Holy Land
- LWF Calls for End to Self-Destructive Cycle
- International NGOs Call for Immediate, Formal Cease Fire in Gaza
- AIDA Statement on the Humanitarian Impact of 40 Years of Occupation
- Churches worldwide to advocate for just peace in Palestine and Israel, 3-9 June 2007
- Message of Concern from the Jerusalem Heads of Churches
- LWF Jerusalem Program E-Newsletter, Issue 2 Published
- LWF Jerusalem Program E-Newsletter, Issue 1 Published
- UN Security Council Resolution Welcomed by LWF General Secretary Noko
- The Future of the AVH Tax Issue Featured in The Lutheran
- LWF General Secretary Noko Denounces Escalation of Violence in the Middle East
- International NGOs Call for Urgent Protection of Civilians in Gaza
- The Lutheran Discusses the Funding Crisis at Augusta Victoria Hospital
- AVH and the Funding Crisis Featured in The Christian Century
- The Mount of Olives Housing Project Featured in The Lutheran
- Eberhard Hitzler to Head LWF Department for World Service
- PATRIARCHS & HEADS OF CHURCHES IN JERUSALEM – EASTER MESSAGE 2006
- International Development and Humanitarian Aid Agencies call upon the international community and donor governments to continue providing aid to the Palestinian people
- ELCA Presiding Bishop, LWF President Urges Resolution of Hospital Tax Case
- LWF Denounces Publication of Controversial Cartoons, Calls for Increased Pursuit of Justice with Other Faiths
- An Appeal to Sustain the Humanitarian Services of Augusta Victoria Hospital
- LWF Welcomes Democratic Palestinian Election Process, Urges Commitment to Peace Efforts with Israel
- Statement by LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko on the results of the Palestinian elections
- LWF Christmas Message: Fear Must Not Become Our Defining Reality
- LWF Leaders Raise Concerns about Augusta Victoria Hospital with Israeli State President
- LWF Council Urges Israel to End Occupation of Palestinian Territories
- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Praises Lutherans’ Support for Just Peace
- LWF Council Meeting Opens in Jerusalem
- LWF Encourages Israel, Palestine to Seize Opportunity for Peace
- FEATURE: Israeli Wall Hinders Access to Hospital's Unique Services
- Palestinian Bishop Urges Lutheran Communion to Support Catholic Day of Prayer, Fasting for Peace
- Norwegian Award for LWF Vice-President Bishop Munib Younan
- Former Jerusalem Bishop Naim Musa Nassar Dies
- LWF President, General Secretary Praise Arafat as Strong Supporter of Palestinian Christians
- LWF General Secretary Urges Israelis, Palestinians to Break Cycle of Violence
- FEATURE: ‘We Need Bridges, Not Walls’
- LWF and other Humanitarian Organizations Welcome ICJ Advisory Opinion on West Bank Barrier
- Israel’s Separation Wall Will Isolate Crucial Training Center in Jerusalem
- International Humanitarian Organisations call for an immediate halt to house demolitions
- Mark Brown New LWF Representative in Jerusalem
- AVH Ambulance Responds to Violence on the Haram Ash-Sharif
- Protest Against the Wall in Abu Dis.
- The Wall Arrives in Jerusalem
- Santa makes his yearly visit to Sisters of Charity Orphanage.
- Request Resources to Share
If you would like to use any of our pictures, resources, documents or stories from our website, Annual Report or other program source to share with your congregation or community, please write to us at info@lwfjerusalem or lwfjerusalem@lwfjerusalem.org and we would be happy to help you.
- Tax Case Settlement
Tax case negotiations between the LWF and the State of Israel, concluded in December, 2008, led to an out-of-court settlement that was accepted by the Israeli High Court on January 1, 2009. The LWF was granted a tax exemption in 1966 by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and in 1967 by the State of Israel in recognition of the humanitarian services offered by the LWF. The Israeli Tax Department sought to end this exemption in relation to a special employers tax in the late 1990s. In recent years, taxes claimed by the Israeli Tax Department put Augusta Victoria Hospital and all the LWF services offered to refugees and others living in poverty in the Palestinian Territories at great risk.
Based on the settlement, all back taxes up to 31 December 2008 were eliminated, thereby removing a strategic threat to the operation of Augusta Victoria Hospital and to the LWF as a whole and it was determined that the LWF would begin paying the employers tax as of January 1, 2009. In addition, apart from the court’s ruling, it was agreed that the LWF and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs would conduct annual meetings to ensure the long-term continuation of AVH and to discuss possible allocations.