JERUSALEM -- The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has welcomed the Evangelical Local Council of Churches of the Holy Land (ELCCHL) as its newest member alliance.

The move comes as the WEA seeks to open doors to "greater fellowship and engagement with evangelicals living in the Middle East".

"This is a historic moment," said Geoff Tunnicliffe, the International Director of the WEA. "Through this new fellowship, we are reminding evangelicals in Bethlehem that they are not alone but part of a larger family of evangelical Christians around the world."

The decision to accept the ELCCHL as the 128th alliance was confirmed during the WEA's joint International Council and International Leadership Team (ICILT) meeting in Jerusalem, Israel, that was held this month.

As part of the 10-day ICILT gathering, top WEA leaders travelled to Bethlehem to meet with the city's mayor, fellowship with pastors and students of Bethlehem Bible College, and to hear moving testimonies from Palestinian Christians.

The Rev Dr Musa Manuel Abu Ali, the chairman of ELCCHL, warmly welcomed the WEA delegation and thanked them for their encouragement and recognition during their visit to Bethlehem Bible College - the only Evangelical seminary in the Palestinian Territory.

"There are Palestinian Christians living in the Biblical Land, and we are the living stories of faith," said Rev Ali. "It is a privilege to have you come to Bethlehem today, because we now know that we are not forgotten."

Although representing only a tiny fraction of the two per cent Christian minority, the evangelical community has resided peacefully in Palestinian Territory for at least 100 years, sharing its faith among the majority Muslim community, explains a WEA press release.

According to Rev Ali, this small evangelical community has faced greater hardship in recent years, not only because of persecution, but because the wall surrounding the West Bank and Gaza has drastically reduced local mobility and foreign tourism, which was the major source of income for many families living in Bethlehem.

"Due to the political and economic situation in our country, Palestinian Christians are suffering," said Rev Ali. "Numerous families have fled to countries away from here, that offer help and shelter."

"We only ask that you remember us here and that you pray for us," said Rev Ali. "Please pray that this light that grew from Bethlehem can continue shining in this land."

Tunnicliffe challenged the WEA global family of all evangelical Christians to "learn about, pray for and stand with our Palestinian brothers and sisters as they seek to live out there faith in increasingly difficult and challenging circumstances".

The WEA International Council and International Leadership Team meeting was held in Jerusalem, Israel from November 27 to December 6, 2006.