However, continuing violence in neighboring Syria, where tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict between rebel forces and the Syrian government, continues to cause concern. What is happening in Syria casts a dark shadow. It impacts on us very greatly. We are not happy with what is happening in Syria. We are anxious and sad about the situation there,” the bishop said. Aid to the Church in Need is supporting several charitable projects including the Bethlehem Seminary and Solidarity Village, a low-cost housing project for young Christians in East Jerusalem. The charity also supports families who make crosses, cribs and other olive wood religious items that the international Catholic pastoral charity sells. Israeli security concerns have caused major problems for Bethlehem Christians. Travel restrictions mean few can leave their West Bank city to work and tourists have difficulty entering. Neville Kyrke-Smith, Aid to the Church in Need’s U.K. director, launched a prayer appeal for peace between Israel and Palestine on Nov. 25.“The Christian community must not stand back hoping that conflicts like this will burn themselves out. We have to act now for the people,” he said. “Our Lord prayed for the peace of Jerusalem. We must pray too for the peace of Jerusalem and the wider Middle East.” Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem has thanked Aid to the Church in Need for its prayer campaign.