ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the case study of the veneration of Mar Ilyas as a way of refuting the stereotype of Palestine and Israel as the lands of ethno-religious conflict. All of the monotheists in Palestine and Israel have coexisted for ages in their veneration of a saint who goes by the name of Mar Ilyas or Sayydna al-Khader. Although, the situation changed drastically after 1948, it is also true that among the different communities the seeds of a new coexistence have started to take root. Palestine is the birthplace of both Judaism and Christianity, and also the holy land of Islam. Monotheists in Palestine lived in peaceful coexistence until 1948 when Zionism finally bore fruit with the establishment of the Jewish State of Israel. All of the monotheists in Palestine and Israel have coexisted for ages in their veneration of a saint who goes under the name of Mar Ilyas or Sayydna al-Khader.
