Like many people, I have been looking at the Middle East's many problems, mainly because I know it so well. I have been thinking of the short time I spent in Bethlehem a few years ago when I traveled there for a conference. I had dinner one evening with a Christian Arab family. I have never kept in touch, unfortunately. I wondered if there are any Christians in the West Bank now, given the heavy losses sustained there. Yes, the killings are happening in the West Bank, as well as in Gaza. I listened to a podcast recently by Tucker Carlson where he interviewed a priest from Gaza. The priest said that about 10 people in the congregation had been killed while in the church. In Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, many of the Christians have fled. I guess that’s the same in Palestine too. So, I’m still trying to get accustomed to the fact that many Christians advocate killing the Arabs, forgetting the fact that some Arabs are Christians. Bethlehem is the home of Christianity. It doesn’t make sense.

A few years ago, I made a documentary about refugees in New Zealand where I learned that one Presbyterian church in Christchurch had been the host to some Saudi Arabian Christians. (Christianity is not allowed in Saudi Arabia). Some Saudi Arabians (visa-free of course) had entered New Zealand and dragged the Christians back to Saudi Arabia.

Nonetheless, the war between Israel and Gaza continues.

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The non-oil sector in Saudi Arabia will lead to economic growth

The global economy entered 2024 with significant uncertainty about future performance. The International Monetary Fund's (IMF) outlook in described it as "fragile", in its report issued last October. In its report entitled "Global Economic Prospects", the IMF suggested that growth rates would be 3 percent in 2023, while in 2024 they would be 0.1 percent to 2.9 percent less.

The IMF reduced its expectations for the Saudi economy's growth in 2023, falling 0.8 percent from 1.9 percent in a report issued last June. Despite lowering expectations for growth rates this year, the IMF expects them to rise to 4 percent in 2024, compared to a previous estimate of only 1.2 percent.

Egypt wants to stop the deteriorating situation in the Middle East

“Egypt adopts a neutral stance towards the successive crises in the Middle East. Its approach is based primarily on stopping escalation in the Middle East and achieving relative calm. Recent developments, most notably the Iranian attack on Israel in response to Tel Aviv's targeting of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, are an example of what Egypt has repeatedly warned against since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, 2023, and the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.”

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