Thursday 25^th November 2021

On Tuesday, Sabeel’s Kumi Now Online session focused on the subject of gender-based violence. The session heard from Areej Diabas, programme manager for the Women’s Study Centre. The Kumi Online session on Tuesday, 30^th November, will focus on the Kairos Palestine Document.

• Lord, we raise our voices together with the voice of Kairos Palestine. We pray for an end to the occupation of Palestine and that international lawmakers and governments around the world will actively condemn Israel for their plans to annex more Palestinian land.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Schools, churches, and scout groups, in Palestine and around the world, have started their preparations for Advent and Christmas. In Palestine these groups are working on a range of ways to celebrate this special season such as bazaars, collections for families in need, or training for carol singing and other celebrations.

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

Sabeel is delighted to be able to host its very popular Ecumenical Christmas Dinner on the 17^th December this year. This dinner is always a very special occasion where people from many churches and groups come together to enjoy an evening of food and music with a Christmas message by one of the clergy of Jerusalem.

• We pray for the Sabeel Ecumenical Christmas dinner on Friday 17th December. Local clergy from different denominations, international workers, and community members from all walks of life will gather for fellowship, food, and music. We pray that God will be glorified by our celebration.
  Lord in your mercy…hear our prayers.

The Catholic youth group ‘Youth of the Homeland of Jesus’ have been holding activities in Bethlehem to mark Christ the King. Hundreds of young Christians have been gathering for worship and lectures in a series of events entitled ‘Jesus on Board’.

• Lord, we are thankful for the leadership of ‘Youth of the Homeland of Jesus’ and the prayerful work of the group as they study and worship together in your name. Bless this, and all youth groups, as they continue to bear witness throughout this special season.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Every day, women gather throughout the Old City to sell fruit and vegetables to those who pass by. These women often grow their own produce and use the money they earn to support their families. Recently, the Jerusalem Municipality has been conducting campaigns throughout the city to confiscate the products sold by these women on the basis that they are trading illegally.

• “She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.” (Prov. 31:16) Lord, we pray for these hard-working women who carry their produce to the city each day and sit on the hard ground selling to those who pass by. Bless these women as they work to plant vineyards of support for their families and give pause to those who seek to disrupt their work through confiscation.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

During the night of November 16^th, in the city of Hebron, Israeli occupation forces pulled 13 Palestinian children from their beds in the home of the Dana family and photographed them illegally. Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem said “It seems that for the army, all Palestinians, including boys and girls of elementary school age, are potential criminals – they are allowed to wake them up at any time at night, enter their house, and conduct a line-up.” This process, termed ‘intelligence mapping’ by Israeli forces, is illegal under international law.

• God of compassion, ‘Children are a heritage from the Lord’ says the Psalmist (Ps. 127:3). We pray for all children, that they be allowed to live in peace and safety, free from oppression and threat. We pray, once again, that the international community will take notice, and take action over these injustices committed against even the youngest children.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

• We join the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of East Timor (Timor Leste), Indonesia, and the Philippines.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Thursday 18^th November 2021

On Tuesday 16^th November, Kumi Now heard from Khaled Quzmar of Defence for Children International, Palestine (DCIP) on the subject of children’s rights. On Thursday 25th November the world will recognise the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Kumi Now, on Tuesday 23^rd November, will hear about Gender-Based Violence and how we can all act to end violence towards women.

• God, you love all your children. Look with special care upon those daughters who suffer physically and emotionally simply because they are women. Surround them with your protecting angels this day, that they might know safety. Give them that measure of your Spirit that they might not lose heart but entrust their lives wholly to you. Give us the courage to stand steadfast at their side, never wavering to speak the truth of their plight and to put our own lives to the test on behalf of our beloved sisters.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

After 113 days, 24-year-old Miqdad Qawasmeh ended his hunger strike on November 11^th following an agreement that he will be released from his administrative detention by Israeli occupation forces in February 2022. Miqdad has been held without trial or formal charges since January 2021. 

• God of the suffering, we pray that Miqdad will have a full recovery from the effects caused by his hunger strike. We pray that the Israeli authorities will keep their agreement and release Miqdad. Grant to all those currently under administrative detention the strength to endure, and to the Israeli authorities, the understanding of the wrongs they commit and the grace to end them.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

On Wednesday 9^th November the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, approved by 51 votes to 50, in a preliminary vote, a bill to build a new public hospital in the northern city of Sakhnin. If further approval is given, this hospital would be the first public hospital to be built in a mainly Palestinian city, where healthcare has mainly relied on private hospitals and clinics run by churches and NGOs. 

• Lord of healing, we pray that the Israeli authorities will carry through with the agreement to build a new hospital in Sakhnin and that the other hospitals suggested are also built. We pray that all those in need of hospital care will be free to access it and that your healing presence will descend upon them and the doctors who care for them.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Monday, November 15^th marks the anniversary of the Palestinian Declaration of Independence. The declaration was written by Palestinian Poet Mahmoud Darwish and proclaimed by Yasser Arafat on 15^th November 1988. The text speaks of peace and justice, declaring that; “The State of Palestine, in declaring that it is a peace-loving State committed to the principles of peaceful coexistence, shall strive, together with all other States and peoples, for the achievement of a lasting peace based on justice and respect for rights, under which the human potential for constructive activity may flourish, mutual competition may centre on life-sustaining innovation and there is no fear for the future, since the future bears only assurance for those who have acted justly or made amends to justice.”

• God of mercy, even as we long to understand that which is often beyond our comprehension, we lay before you the hearts, minds, and bodies of all those suffering from oppression in Palestine and Israel and the ongoing occupation. Shower upon all the people of the Holy Land the spirit of justice and peace. Give to all people the blessings of well-being, freedom, and harmony, and, above all things, strengthen us to care for all those in need.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

After a long break due to Covid-19, Sabeel is returning to important in-person activities in Palestine. On November 22^nd and 23^rd, Sabeel will hold a clergy retreat for over 40 local clergy, a time for them to come together in peace and fellowship whilst exploring faith and the pathway to a just peace.

• We pray dear Lord for your blessing on this Retreat and for the ecumenical spirit that prevails in the Sabeel programs. Guide the speakers and the participants to be nourished by this fellowship and help them disseminate the right attitude in their parishes so that the “Other” will be a Blessing. 
  Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) are holding an Advent event to encourage clergy and others to ‘Be Alert: Preach Palestine.’ The campaign asks everyone to “lift up Palestinian people such that they would come to experience the joy, justice, and peace of Christ’s liberating reign, as a very real light in the present darkness.” (https://www.fosna.org/preach-palestine-blog)

• Dear Lord, we pray that Christians around the world will respond to the message to ‘Preach Palestine’. Lord of mercy and compassion, we ask you to move the hearts of believers in different lands. We pray for their renewed efforts to alert their congregations and their governments to the suffering of the Palestinians under prolonged occupation. We pray blessing upon FOSNA as they work tirelessly for justice and peace in Palestine and for the success of the ‘Be Alert: Preach Palestine 2021’ campaign.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Six new booklets produced by Rev Dr. Naim Ateek will be launched at a Zoom event on Friday 3^rd December. The booklets cover a range of topics based on lectures, sermons, and messages written by Rev Ateek over many years. (sign up at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsd-ysrjwqGdez8XvN9_C4HWkX-asdretE)

• Lord, we give thanks for Rev Ateek, his faithful and ongoing witness for justice and peace based on your word. Bless these writings as they are released in booklet form for the first time and set a seed in the hearts of those who read them so that they may find words to stir their hearts and motivate their actions.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Sabeel Wave of Prayer
11.11.21

Last week’s Kumi Now online gathering reflected on how we can confront antisemitism, as well as other forms of racism, to help bring about healing and reconciliation in our communities. The Kumi Now gathering on Tuesday, the 16th of November will focus on the rights of Palestinian children. The Universal Children’s Day is celebrated on Saturday, the 20th of November, but Palestinian children are often denied the rights and opportunities available to children elsewhere in the world and only a short distance away in the settlements and in Israel.

• Lord, so many Palestinian children suffer violence living under the Israeli occupation. Many see their homes and schools demolished, hundreds are arrested each year and endure trials and imprisonment far from their families. We pray for an end to the Israeli occupation and an end to the abuse of the rights of Palestinian children. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

The Roman Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa welcomed Catholic worshippers from many different Catholic Churches in the Holy Land to the small shrine at Deir Rafat on Saturday, the 30th of October. He spoke to the worshippers about the synodal journey, ‘First: we want to set out, just like the two disciples of Emmaus. Second: we want to do it together, as Church, as community. That is why I find it beautiful and significant that in all parts of our Churches (Galilee, Palestine, Jordan and Cyprus), we are at this moment gathered together’. He urged the worshippers, Palestinians, migrants and asylum seekers from different backgrounds and traditions to come together, to get to know one another and to witness as Christians in the Holy Land.

• ‘Lord Jesus, in the midst of war and hatred, walls, occupation and discrimination, fear and rejection, instruct us how to be instruments of justice and peace, pardon and reconciliation.’ (Father David Neuhaus.SJ). Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

During these past few weeks the 26th UN Climate Change Conference has been taking place in Glasgow in the U.K. We remember the Palestinian organizations working to find ways of protecting their environment. We give thanks for the work done by the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University to protect the al-Makhrour Valley, south of Jerusalem from urban encroachment and biodiversity loss.

• Lord God, you spread out the earth and what comes from it, (Is 42:5), help us to care for your creation and to do all in our power to look after the world we live in, balancing the needs of nature and the people living in the land. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers. 

Miqdad al-Qawasmi, a 24-year-old Palestinian from Hebron, has been on hunger strike for 103 days in protest of his administrative detention order. This order allows the Israeli authorities to detain Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable periods of three to six months. They are denied any right of appeal or any information about the reason for their detention. Along with seven other Palestinian prisoners, Miqdad has been driven to starve himself to draw attention to his desperate plight. Currently 544 Palestinian prisoners are being held on administrative detention.

• Dear Lord, we bring before you the Palestinian prisoners living under administrative detention, especially those on hunger strike. We pray that the Israeli Prison Services will release the hunger strikers and revoke these harsh detention orders. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Philippe Lazzarini, Head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees,(UNRWA), has warned that the cuts imposed by international donors to the agency have brought it close to collapse. The agency is now struggling to deliver its most essential services and Palestinian refugees are being left with a deep sense of abandonment. The U.K. government has cut its relief grant by more than half. At a special conference in Brussels this month, the agency will ask international donors to reconsider.

• Lord, we pray that international governments will contribute towards the core funding of UNRWA. The agency covers the costs of thousands of teachers and health workers who help to invest in the future of Palestinian refugees. Without the work of  UNRWA, the long term stability of the region will be in jeopardy. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Thursday, the 4th of November, Pope Francis met with the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas. The Pope and other Vatican officials were keen to urge the resumption of peace talks with Israel. The Vatican stated, ‘It is absolutely necessary to reactivate direct dialogue’ and suggested that the international community should help with  ‘more vigorous effort’.

• Lord, we long for the end of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. We pray that international governments would help Israel and Palestine to engage in dialogue and work towards a just and sustainable peace. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Abdallah Jildeh, a 23-year-old Gazan, has just become the first Palestinian to be invested at the Institute of the Incarnate Word. He trusts that his priestly vocation is a gift from God and looks forward to serving God and the church in the world.

• Lord, we give thanks for Abdallah’s vocation and we pray for all the people of Gaza who live under very difficult conditions. Lord, we ask with Abdallah for your protection ‘for the many people who have no shelter or home’. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Oceania: American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia (Mao-hi Nui), Kanaky, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Thursday 4th November 2021

Last week the Kumi Now Online gathering focused on Islamophobia. Next week Kumi Now will highlight the International Day against Fascism and Antisemitism, which takes place on the 9th of November each year. It will also consider how any criticism of Israel’s unjust actions against Palestinians living under occupation is constantly equated with antisemitism. The Israeli authorities cannot be allowed to carry out human rights’ abuses against Palestinians under a cloak of impunity but should be accountable under international law.

• Lord Jesus, we pray that you would free us from any bitter roots of hatred or racism. Help us to cry out to you when we see the sufferings of others. May we remember that you were prepared to die on a cross for the love you have for us and let us abide in your love.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Wednesday, the 27th of October, twelve priests in the Armenian Brotherhood of St. James announced their condemnation of Patriarch Nourhan Manougian to grant a 99 year lease on the Goveroun Bardez. This strategic land in Jerusalem has been part of the Armenian Quarter since the 14th century. The Patriarchate wants to sell the land to Dany Rubinstein, an Australian property developer based in Dubai, who plans to build a luxury hotel on the site.

• Lord, we thank you for the courage and integrity of the twelve priests who are prepared to question the legality of this property deal. We pray that the Armenian church will reconsider the importance of their presence in the
city of Jerusalem.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

The Israeli Knesset aborted a bill on Wednesday, the 27th of October, which would have recognised Israel’s responsibility for the 1956 massacre in the Palestinian village of Kafr Qasim. At least 49 Palestinian villagers were shot by Israeli border police as they returned from their work in the fields. They did not know that the Israeli authorities had brought the curfew time forward on the eve of the invasion of Egypt and they walked home unaware that they would be shot.

• Lord, we pray for the relatives of those who were injured or killed, 65years ago, in the massacre of Kafr Qasim. We pray that the Israeli government will come to acknowledge its responsibility for the shedding of innocent Palestinian blood and make a full apology for the massacre of innocent lives.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Tuesday November 2nd, 2021 marked one hundred and four years since the Balfour Declaration was issued and set-in motion the process which led to the displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians over the course of ten decades. A century later, the Palestinians continue to be denied their security and basic right of self-determination.

• Lord You are the Almighty, the Prince of Peace and lover of Truth and Justice! Give us hope for tomorrow. We pray for Justice and Truth in our land, that your peace may flow like a river.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Senior Catholic officials in the Holy Land have condemned the decision by the Israeli authorities to ban a three day cultural event in East Jerusalem, as ‘ harsh and unjustifiable’. The event for children was to be hosted by the Maison d’Abraham which is run by Secours Catholique – Caritas France. The Israeli Security Minister prohibited it, claiming it was linked to the Palestinian Authority.

• Lord, we pray for an end to the way the Israeli authorities attempt to stifle all aspects of Palestinian cultural life in East Jerusalem. We pray that the city of Jerusalem will always welcome worshippers of all ethnicities and faiths.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Thursday, the 28th of October, a convoy of Palestinian cars set out on some main roads in Israel heading for Kafr Qara in central Israel. The convoy was protesting the high levels of violent crime being experienced by Palestinian Israeli communities. Parliamentarians from the Joint List, mayors and bereaved relatives took part in the convoy which disrupted the general traffic flow. They were lamenting the lack of commitment shown by the Israeli police force to investigate the frequent homicides suffered by Palestinian Israeli towns.

• Lord, we pray that the Israeli authorities will act to curb the escalation in violence and killings in Palestinian Israeli towns. We pray that they may direct sufficient resources to protect Palestinian communities from unrestrained violence.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Friday, the 29th of October, Sabeel organised a joint trip with the Arab Catholic Scouts in Jerusalem to help the Tent of Nations with the olive harvest. Forty young people participated in the event.

• Lord, we thank you for the young people volunteering their help to the Nassar family at the Tent of Nations. We pray for this Palestinian Christian family who seek to live out their faith and care for their farm, despite Israeli military incursions, settler attacks and a recent fire which affected many of their newly planted and mature trees. We are humbled by their perseverance to build a better future based on respect for all and respect for the land.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

During the last weekend of October many Catholics gather at the shrine of Our Lady, Queen of Palestine for the annual procession. It takes place at Deir Rafat, which lies between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. On this occasion pilgrims focus on praying for peace in their homeland.

• Lord, we pray that you will build our faith, even when all around we see so much suffering. We pray that many more people will open their eyes and see the oppression faced by Palestinians living under the Israeli occupation. Lord, help them to see and to speak out against injustice.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Canada and the United States of America.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

October 28^th,2021

This week’s Kumi Now online gathering focused on the plight of women and children living through conflict under the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Next week’s Kumi Now on Tuesday, the 2nd of November, will consider the topic of Islamophobia. The Kumi Now community would like to establish the month of November as the month when issues about Islamophobia are thoroughly discussed. It is hoped that further education will lead to overcoming prejudice and will empower Muslims to contribute more confidently to their wider communities.

• Lord Jesus, our righteous Lord, help us ‘to seek goodness, not evil and to establish justice in the gate’, (Amos 5:15). Help us to encourage all members of our diverse communities to step forward and add their contributions to build more peaceful societies.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Gaza’s first woman basketball referee has started to officiate at both men’s and women’s matches. Amira Ismail, 23, actually gained her international license three years ago but was prevented from attending matches by the pandemic and social pressures. She is the only female basketball referee among fifteen referees in Gaza. She also works as a hospital pharmacologist.

• Lord, we give thanks for Amira’s determination to gain her qualification to referee basketball matches in Gaza. We pray that she will inspire many other young women to pursue the sports they love, to grow in confidence and to keep fit and healthy.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Netflix has announced that it has launched a new series of films, entitled ‘Palestinian Stories’. Initially, there will be 32 award-winning films either made by Palestinian directors or films telling Palestinian stories. Many of the films will expose the oppression suffered by Palestinians living under the Israeli occupation.

• Lord, we pray that the international community will challenge the Israeli government over its occupation and its excesses as they are exposed by Palestinian filmmakers.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

The Palestinian film called ‘The Stranger’, ( Al Garib), has been selected as a nominee film for the 2022 Oscars. The director, Ameer Fakker Eldin, who came from the occupied Syrian Golan, won the Edipe Re prize with this film at the recent Venice Film Festival. The film was made in the Golan Heights and follows an unlicensed doctor living in a small village and undergoing a time of personal crisis.

• Lord, we pray for the Syrian people living in the Golan Heights suffering from Israeli annexation and further threats of displacement from Israeli settlement expansion.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Thursday, the 21st of October, UN experts spoke out to express their grave concerns over the fate of five Palestinians currently on hunger strike in Israeli military prisons. The Israeli policy of administrative detention is driving Palestinians to desperate measures to draw attention to their plight. The hunger strikers are all men in their twenties and thirties and they have been refusing food for between 58-99 days. The lives of two men in particular, Kayed Al-Fasfous and Miqdad Al Qawasameh hang in the balance.

• Lord we pray for the lives of the five Palestinian prisoners, that they may be released from administrative detention before they die. We pray that the Israeli government would cease to impose administrative detention orders on more than five hundred Palestinian prisoners, including six Palestinian children.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Friday, the 22nd of October, the Israeli Defence Minister, Benny Gantz declared that six leading Palestinian human rights organisations are now deemed ‘terrorist organisations’. He claimed they all had a ‘secret link’ to the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The declaration could empower the Israeli authorities to close their offices, seize their assets and ban supporting their activities. The groups named are Addameer; al-Haq; Defence for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P); the Union of Agricultural Work Committees; Bisan Centre for Research and Development and the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have released a joint statement claiming that the announcement from the Israeli government is a ‘brazen attack on human rights’.

• Lord, we pray for all the Palestinians and Israelis working to protect the human rights of Palestinians struggling to survive under the Israeli occupation. We pray that international organisations and governments around the world will challenge the way the Israeli government abuses the human rights of the Palestinian people and that Israel rescind its decision.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

This month Heads of Missions and representatives from the EU, Scandinavia and the U.K. visited Qusra village in the Nablus district to take part in the olive harvest. The British Consulate organised this visit and liaised with two other villages which have been targeted with attacks from illegal Israeli settlers. The international presence is one way to deter the settlers from launching violent attacks at harvest time.

• Lord, we pray for protection for the thousands of Palestinian farmers who rely on the olive harvest to supplement their livelihood. We pray for an end to the violent attacks on these farmers by Israeli settlers.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Nisreen Abu Kmeil, a 46-year-old Palestinian mother, was finally reunited with her husband and seven children in her home in Gaza on Wednesday, the 20th of October. She was released from prison in Israel after completing a six year sentence for resisting the occupation. However the authorities made her wait a further three days before allowing her to join her family, claiming she owed them unpaid tax on her television.

• Lord, we pray for Nisreen as she settles back home with her family and gets to know her children again, including the 8-month-old son she had to leave when she was arrested six years ago. We pray for the thirty-two other Palestinian women who remain in Israeli prisons for their resistance to the occupation.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the islands of the Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Sint Maarten, St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

October 21^th,2021

The Kumi Now Online gathering looks at who is profiting from the Israeli occupation on Tuesday, the 19th of October. Next week’s Kumi Now online gathering, October 26th, will consider the intolerable levels of violence which many women and children in Palestine experience as they live out their lives under Israeli occupation. Many women see their families torn apart as their husbands and children face long terms of imprisonment; they live through repeated night raids, home demolitions and relentless violence from Israeli forces and settlers. Others become victims of domestic violence as their partners struggle to cope with the pressures of conflict all around them.

Lord, we bring before you the women and children of the world trying to survive in societies facings high levels of violence and conflict. We pray that they will draw strength from one another and work together to bring about change and more peaceful communities for their children.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

This week the Israeli forces arrested thirteen Palestinians, including three young boys, across the occupied Palestinian Territories. The soldiers arrested Mohammed Zaiton, 13 years old and Jihad Rajabi, 10 years old, in Silwan village on Tuesday, the 12th of October. Ayham Hadra, 13 years old, was arrested outside his school in the al-Tur neighbourhood of Jerusalem.

Lord, the Israeli authorities are arresting and imprisoning so many Palestinians, some without charge or trial. We pray especially for the three young boys, Mohammed, Jihad and Ayham as they undergo coercive interrogations in Israeli military detention centres. Lord, we pray that these young children will soon be released and restored to their families.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Sunday, the 10th of October, Palestinians came out to protest the demolition of the graves of Jordanian soldiers in Al-Yusufiyah Cemetery carried out by the Israeli authorities on the previous day. The graves commemorated the Jordanians who had fought to defend the Old City of Jerusalem in the 1967 war. The cemetery has been a Palestinian burial site for centuries. It lies close to Jerusalem’s ancient north-eastern wall and Israel plans to turn the area into a biblically themed park.

Lord, we pray for an end to the desecration of holy sites and the oppression of work being carried out by the Israeli authorities in and around the city of Jerusalem.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken announced on Wednesday, the 13th of October, that the US will be re-opening its consulate in East Jerusalem to restore links with the Palestinians. It had been shut down in March 2019, under the Trump administration. President Biden intends to keep the US Embassy in Jerusalem, which was moved from Tel Aviv in 2018.

Lord, we pray for governments around the world that they may seek to challenge the Israeli government over the oppressive and divisive policies they pursue in the way they rule the Palestinian people.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

The Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, has announced that his government plans to expand its settler population in the Syrian Golan Heights by building two more illegal settlements in the area. Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 but the area is still considered part of Syria by the UN. The 20,000 Syrian Druze still remaining in the area are protesting over the encroachment of their land by vast Israeli settlements.

Lord, we hold the people of Syria before you in prayer. Many Syrians have suffered and died in the civil war which has engulfed their land. We pray for the Syrian Druze on the Golan Heights who now face being pushed away from their land by Israeli settlers.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Families from Palestinian villages which were depopulated by the Israelis in the 1948 Nakba are asking for a Day of Prayer on Saturday, the 23rd of October. Family members who used to live in the mainly Christian village of Kufr Birim are now living as internally displaced Palestinians in Israel. Like the five million UN registered Palestinian refugees living across the Middle East they dream of their right of return. Some go back to their ruined villages to camp each year and to reconnect with their Palestinian heritage.

Lord, we pray for an end to the injustice which has lasted for more than seventy years. We pray that the Palestinian refuges and displaced Palestinians, where ever they may be, to be granted the right of return to rebuild their homes and their heritage.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

October 14^th, 2021

This week’s Kumi Now online gathering focused on how the mental health and well-being of the Palestinian people has been affected by more than seventy years of Israeli occupation. Kumi Now will look at who is profiting from the occupation in the online gathering on Tuesday, the 21st of October. Governments, churches and individuals are being challenged to consider if their links with companies which profit from the occupation or trade with settlements are helping to sustain an illegal and divisive system.

Lord, our hearts cry out to you over the way the Israeli authorities seek to subjugate the Palestinian people. We pray that voices of conscience in the international community will speak out forcibly to challenge the escalation of violence and loss of Palestinian lives under the Israeli occupation.
Lord, in your mercy…

On Sunday, the 3rd of October, a Palestinian farmer was allowed to go and harvest the twenty six olive trees on his plot of land in Salfit, in the occupied West Bank. When he arrived he discovered his entire olive crop had been stolen by settlers from the nearby illegal settlement of Arial. This is just one incident among many perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season.

Lord, we pray for Palestinian farmers who depend on the olive harvest for their livelihood. We pray for support and protection for them. We pray that Israeli governments would respect international law, cease transferring its population into occupied Palestinian territories and remove all settlers who are already living in illegal settlements.
Lord, in your mercy…

In the month of August nearly one hundred Palestinians have been displaced from their homes in occupied East Jerusalem, for the lack of a building permit, according to the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. In one incident the owners of a home in the Shufat neighbourhood were forced to demolish their own home to avoid fines, making four families homeless. The Palestinian owners stated they bought the land in 1952, but the Israeli High Court ruled that Israeli settlers now own the land.

Lord, we pray for all the Palestinian families who have been forced from their homes because they cannot obtain building permits and for those who live under constant threat of eviction. We pray that the worldwide community will question the Israeli authorities about how they are carrying out their duties as an occupying power under international law.
Lord, in your mercy…

On Friday, the 1st of October, Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner General announced that he would be seeking $800 million to maintain services to Palestinian refugees at a donor conference scheduled for November in Brussels. UNRWA provides schools, health centers and social welfare to more than 5 million Palestinians registered in the occupied Palestinian Territories, Jordan and the Lebanon.

Almighty and merciful God, whose son became a refugee and had no place to call his own; look with mercy on those who have to flee and continue to flee today from danger, homelessness and hunger. Bless those who work to bring them relief; inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts and guide the nations of the world towards that day when all will rejoice in your kingdom of justice and of peace,(Sabeel, 2017).
Lord, in your mercy ..

On Saturday, the 2nd of October, hundreds of Palestinian and Jewish activists took part in a solidarity march from Tawane to Mufaqara, in the South Hebron Hills. They marched in protest at the violent riot in the area by settlers from the illegal Israeli outposts of Havat Maon and Avigail on Tuesday, the 28th of September. Armed settlers had rampaged through the village of Mufaqara killing livestock, damaging property and injuring twelve villagers, including a three-year-old boy. The attack took place under the protection of armed Israeli soldiers who fired guns, tear gas and stun grenades at the Palestinian villagers.

Lord, we lament over this unquenchable thirst for violence we are witnessing among the illegal settlers in the occupied Palestinian Territories. We pray that the Israeli authorities will act to restrain and stop these riots, instead of supporting them.
Lord, in your mercy…

We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama.
Lord, in your mercy…

Sabeel Wave of Prayer 7.10.21

This week’s Kumi Now online gathering remembered the International Day of Non-Violence by looking at organisations working non-violently to bring about a just peace in Palestine/Israel. Another important date, the World Mental Health Day, on the 10th of October, will be marked by Kumi Now at the next Tuesday meeting. The Kumi Now document states, ‘the people of Palestine face staggering concrete problems inspired by the Israeli occupation… but there is in addition the intangible burden of psychological damage which these physical violations impose on victims, families and witnesses.’

• Faithful Lord Jesus, help us to cast our burdens on you. We pray to you and ask you to shine your light on those who suffer in our world and bring us hope.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Friday, the 1st of October, 694 Palestinians were arrested by the Israeli police at checkpoints set up in the Old City of Jerusalem, as they tried to make their way to worship at the Al Aqsa Mosque. They were arrested for entering the city from the West Bank without legal authorisation.

• Lord, we pray for the release of the stranglehold of Israeli checkpoints, fixed and temporary, which deny Palestinians the right to visit families, schools, hospitals, places of worship or to obtain work. We pray that Palestinians will be able to move around their land freely without restrictions, as the Israelis do.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

The Israeli police have asked the Justice Ministry to enact legislation which would allow them to override the civil liberties of Palestinians living in Israel. In response to the higher levels of organised crime in Arab communities, the Israeli police want the right to search homes without warrants and to seize security camera footage without court orders. The Israeli police do not require these rights to maintain order in Israeli communities.

• Lord, there is much concern about high levels of violent crime in Palestinian communities in Israel. We pray that civil rights of the Palestinian people will not be further undermined by the drastic measures sought by the Israeli police to reduce these levels.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Wednesday, the 29th of September, the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit opened a new exhibition, entitled ‘A People by the Sea’. It presents a two-hundred-year-old narrative featuring the important landmarks of the Palestinian coast.

• Lord, we thank you for this imaginative new exhibition which will remind Palestinians of strong links to their coastal cities and to the besieged city of Gaza. We lament that many Palestinians have never been able to visit the coast, due to the travel restrictions imposed on them by the Israeli occupation.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Palestinian authorities are pressing Turkish officials for more information concerning six Palestinian men and one Palestinian woman who have recently disappeared in Turkey. They have all vanished separately over the past month, apparently without trace. Two of them are students, while others have been working in the country for some time.

• Lord, we pray for the safety of the Palestinians who cannot be contacted in Turkey. We pray that the authorities will search for them and that they will soon be restored to their families and friends.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Several Palestinians, including a three-year-old child, were injured when Israeli settlers attacked residents of Masafer Yatta, in the South Hebron Hills on Tuesday, the 28th of September. The settlers attacked the Palestinian residents, their homes, and vehicles, destroyed their crops and uprooted dozens of trees. Israeli soldiers supported the settlers by firing tear gas canisters and stun grenades at the residents.

• Lord, we pray for the Palestinian communities who live under the constant threat of harassment from settlers and Israeli soldiers. We pray that the Israeli government will start to meet its legal obligations under international law to protect Palestinian residents and to put in place the basic services they need.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

September 30_^th, 2021

This week’s Kumi Now online gathering heard about the plight of Bedouin communities across Palestine and Israel. They have suffered decades of harassment from the Israeli authorities, with frequent home demolitions and forcible transfers. The International Day of Non-violence is celebrated on Saturday, the 2nd of October, the birth date of Mahatma Gandhi. During the following week Kumi Now will focus on the organisations seeking to ‘secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence’.

Lord, we pray for the many individuals and groups working on all sides of the conflict in Palestine and Israel to bring about a just solution through non-violence.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Friday, the 24th of September, the funeral of Mohammed Khabisah took place in Beita, south of Nablus in the West Bank. Mohammed was killed when he was shot in the head by Israeli troops during clashes with Palestinian protestors. The protestors were objecting to the illegal Israeli settler outpost where settlers moved out in the summer as part of a deal with the Israeli government leaving the settlers with hopes to return to the site which remains locked and under military guard.

Lord, we pray for Mohammed’s family and friends who mourn his loss. We pray too for an end to the rapid expansion of illegal Israeli settlement outposts in the occupied Palestinian Territories.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Last week the US House of Representatives agreed an additional $1 billion of military aid to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome system. Only nine Democrats voted against the funding. The US currently donates over $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel every year.

Lord, we pray for justice, peace, and security for all who live in the Holy Land, not just the Israelis. We pray for an end to the Israeli occupation and the massive build-up of weapons, security systems, and military prisons.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayers.

For the past week Palestinian prisoner, Amin Shweiki, 61, has refused to take the insulin injections he needs to manage his diabetes, in protest against his administrative detention. He is the owner of a well-known glass shop in the Old City of Jerusalem. He was caught up in the wave of arrests in mid-May over the protests about Sheikh Jarrah and the bombardment of Gaza.

Lord, we pray for Amin as his health deteriorates whilst he protests against his detention without charge. We pray that the Israeli authorities would stop this inhumane form of detention which deprives Palestinians of formal charges or the right of a trial and keeps them imprisoned for indefinite periods of time.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Muhammad Hassan was working on the roof of his brother’s newly built house in Qusrah, southeast of Nablus on Saturday, the 3rd of July. A large group of armed settlers had entered the village, accompanied by four Israeli soldiers, and started pelting him with stones. He tried to fend them off by throwing stones at them but was shot and injured by one of the soldiers. Villagers were prevented from helping him by the soldiers. After some delay he was taken to hospital but died of his wounds later that day.

Lord, we pray for Muhammad’s family as they grieve over this unprovoked attack and his death. We pray that the Israeli military authorities will hold to account any soldiers who do not abide by their open-fire policy under international humanitarian law.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Palestinian pupils were deliberately prevented from reaching their school on time on Wednesday, the 22nd of September. Israeli forces stopped them from using the Nablus to Ramallah road and they had to scramble over rough terrain to get to their school in the village of al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus. While in the nearby village of Ammuriya a 17-year-old student was detained for two hours before being released.

Lord, so many Palestinian pupils have their education disrupted by the Israeli authorities. We pray that the Israeli government will ensure equal access and resources to the education of Palestinian and Israeli children alike.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Thursday, the 23rd of September, the Appeals Court in The Hague heard an appeal objecting to the granting of immunity to two former Israeli military commanders, Benny Gantz and Amin Eskel. Ismail Ziada is bringing a case against the commanders for the targeted bombing attack on his home in Gaza, which killed six members of his family, including a young boy, and a visiting friend.

Lord, you are just and righteous and we place our trust in you. We pray that countries around the world will continue to uphold international law and will hold to account those who commit crimes against humanity.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Wednesday 22nd September, Israeli forces sealed off the archaeological site of Sebastia, near the northern city of Nablus. The site, believed to be the burial site of John the Baptist, has become a site of cultural conflict with Israeli attempts to seize control in the area.

Lord, sites of archeological and religious importance are under constant threat from occupation forces and settlers. We pray for an end to all violations committed by both settlers and the Israeli military forces against our people, property and heritage.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.

We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Peru.
Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

23 rd of September, 2021

This week’s Kumi online gathering on Tuesday, September 17 th , focused on the Blockade on
Gaza, which was implemented in 2006 and has resulted in a severe deterioration of living
conditions in Gaza. The combination of the blockade and Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have also led
to a shortage of materials necessary for rebuilding homes and other infrastructures such as
clinics, hospitals, and schools. The health system has also been severely strained in the midst of
COVID-19. As of August 2021, only 16 % of Gazan adults have received two vaccines.

God of justice, we pray for the many injustices Gazans face and ask that you would
move people around the world to stand in solidarity with Gaza. We thank you for
the many Gazans who both continue to work to rebuild their communities and
advocate for the end of the blockade. May your spirit sustain and nourish them. We
pray that the oppressive structures that inflict ongoing violence against Gazans
would be dismantled and that the conditions necessary for peace and human
flourishing would take root and grow.
Lord in Your Mercy…Hear our prayer

This week is the World Week of Prayer for Palestine and September 21 st is the World Day of
Prayer for Peace.

Jesus, you taught us: “blessed be the peacemakers for they shall be called children
of God” (Mathew 5:9). We thank you for all those who are praying and acting for
peace both in Palestine and around the world.
Lord, in Your Mercy…Hear our Prayer.

This week Muna and Mohammed El Kurd made the TIME magazine’s “top 100 influential
people of 2021” list. Muna and Mohammed El Kurd are from the community of Sheikh Jarrah
where Palestinian families are being expelled from their homes. In May 2021, the El Kurd’s
began documenting and speaking out against the ongoing expulsion of people in Sheikh Jarrah,
and they gained a large following on social media.

Lord, we thank you for the advocacy of Muna and Mohammed El Kurd and their
bold stand against injustice in Sheikh Jarrah. We pray for justice for the families
who have been expelled from their homes, and for an end to these forced removals.
Lord, in Your Mercy…Hear our Prayer.

Thursday September 16 th was the memorial day for the Sabra & Shatila Massacre, which took
place in Lebanon in 1982, and led to the death of up to 3,500 Palestinian refugees and Lebanese
civilians.

Lord, we remember the victims and their families. We grieve for the dead and those
who lost loved ones during this brutal massacre. We pray for an end to violence and
for an end to the destruction of life everywhere.
Lord, in Your Mercy…Hear our Prayer.

As of September 16 th , administrative detainee Kayed Fasfous has been on hunger strike for 65
days, along with five other detainees, to protest incarceration without trial.  According to the
Palestinian Prisoner Society there are currently 520 administrative detainees.

Lord, we thank you for the strength and courage Kayed and others have shown in
resisting the violation of their rights. We pray that the rights of current detainees
would be respected and for the end of the practice of administrative detention.
Lord, in Your Mercy…Hear our Prayer

On September 13 th , UNRWA ( United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian
Refugees in the Near East) honoured Palestinian Loay Elbasyouni for his work on the NASA
Mars helicopter, which completed its first flight to Mars in April 2021. He was a former student
at an UNRWA school in Gaza.

Lord, we thank you for the inspiration Loay Elbasyouni’s achievements gives to
refugees and children in Gaza. We pray that children in Gaza and around the world
would have equal access to education and that they would be given the support they
need to develop their talents and gifts.
Lord, in Your Mercy…Hear our Prayer.

After the escape of six Palestinian prisoners on September 6 th , some of the relatives of the
escaped prisoners were arrested and family visits were cancelled for prisoners as a form of
collective punishment. Palestinians have responded with solidarity demonstrations, which have
been met with repression from Israeli forces, leading to injuries amongst demonstrators.

God, you proclaim “Liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners” (Isaiah
61:1). We pray for Palestinian political and administrative prisoners who are
deprived of their basic rights according to international law.
Lord, in your Mercy… Hear our Prayer.