The Kumi Now initiative focuses this week on the work of Al-Marsad in the Syrian Golan.

Al-Marsad was founded in 2003 to protect the human rights of those Syrians still living in the Golan. They live under the threat of Israeli military activity as well as the promotion of tourism from illegal settlements in the area. The action this week asks you to write to travel companies such as booking.com and Lonely Planet asking, ‘Does your business profit by providing accommodation in illegal Israeli settlements or by misrepresenting the Syrian Golan as ‘Northern Israel’?’

 

• Lord, we pray for the Syrians who have suffered so much in recent years. We pray that the Syrians in the Golan and in other regions may be granted peace and justice. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

 

The U.N. General Assembly voted in favour of five resolutions regarding Palestine on Friday, the 30th of November. UNGA also adopted a sixth resolution on the occupied Syrian Golan, demanding the withdrawal of Israel from all the territory and affirming Syria’s sovereignty over the land.

• We thank you, Lord, for all those international bodies who work to maintain peace and to protect the sovereignty of nations. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.

On Wednesday, the 5th of December, the Irish Senate approved the first reading of the ‘Occupied Territories Bill’. This bill would criminalise the import of goods from Israeli settlements. It will still need to be endorsed by the Lower House of Parliament.

• Lord, we are encouraged when those in authority abide by international law and recognise the illegality of the Israeli settlements in Palestine. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

 

This week marks human rights week, with the UN Day of Human Rights on the 10^th December.

• Lord, all people have the right to live in peace, dignity and with justice. Grant all those involved in the occupation humble hearts to see the wrongs of their ways and clear heads to move towards peace and justice. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

The Israeli authorities demolished a Palestinian primary school in Simiya village in the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron on Wednesday, the 5th of December.

The Israeli Civil Administration claimed it had been built without a permit. Almost all Palestinian applications for permits in areas under their control are rejected.

• Lord, you are an ever-present help in times of trouble. We pray that those who try to provide homes and schools for families in Palestine may not lose hope but will continue to seek to meet their needs. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer

At least 25 Palestinians were injured by live fire during the weekly protests  of the ‘Great March of Return’ along the border between Gaza and Israel on Friday, the 7th of December.

• Lord, we pray for those who have been injured in Gaza this week, together with thousands of other Gazans who have sustained wounds at the protests. We pray that there may soon be a breakthrough in the peace talks and that the blockade of Gaza may be lifted. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer

 

Thousands of people attended the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Saturday, the 1st of December.

• Lord Jesus, the light of the Christmas trees reflect our joy at this season as we remember how you came to earth to bring light into our lives, ‘the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light’, (Is 9:2). Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Sabeel wants to hold several local programs during the Advent season: a) Christmas activities for Children in Nazareth, b) Community Bible Studies, and c) to Ecumenical Dinner in Jerusalem bringing together the Christian Community to celebrate Christmas.

• Lord, we thank you for the beginning of Advent this weekend – for valuing humanity to become one of us, for taking on flesh and teaching us how to love. God, we ask for your guidance so that we will not only reflect on this time with hope, joy, peace, and love, but also act upon it. Lord in your mercy … hear our prayers

The Kumi Now non-violent initiative continues this week with the work of Christian Peacemaker Teams and the topic of  Israeli military checkpoints used to enforce the occupation. Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron suffer from the presence of Israeli settlers and the military in the centre of the Old City. Christian Peacemaker Teams have been monitoring human rights abuses in this area since 1995.

The Kumi action asks you to send a letter to your local police chief or commissioner asking, ‘Do you purchase equipment from Combined Systems or any other company which profits from the Israeli occupation?’  www.kuminow.com

• Lord, we pray for Palestinians who are subjected to delays, body searches and even detainment as they have to pass through military checkpoints on their way to school or work in their hometowns. We pray for the work of the Christian Peacemaker Teams as they report human rights abuses resulting from the occupation to the international authorities. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers

The 9th Kairos Palestine Anniversary Conference will take place on December 6th-7th at the Dar Annadwah International Centre in Bethlehem. The title of the conference is, ‘Hope where there is no Hope’.

• Lord, we pray for the Kairos Conference in Bethlehem that it may be a reflective and motivating time for its local and international participants. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers