Sabeel Wave of Prayer

 21^st of July 2022

Kumi Now will consider the topic of Family Unification on Tuesday, the 26^th of July. Under international law most countries permit the immigration of a citizen’s close relatives and offer them legal status within the state. Israel does not recognise the right of Palestinians to family unification. The Nationality and Entry into Israel Law, (31.7.2003), has left thousands of Palestinians from the occupied Palestinian territories who are married to Israeli citizens without residency status and living under constant threat of expulsion.

• Lord, we pray that Israel will rescind its Nationality and Entry into Israel Law. We pray for an end to the Israeli occupation and its discriminatory practice of denying Palestinians access to family unification.
  Lord, in your mercy…

Nora Arsenian-Carmi was invited to speak on the July webinar for Friends of Sabeel Australia on Saturday, the 16th of July. Nora was born in Jerusalem, Palestine, a few months before the establishment of Israel in 1948. Since 1967, she has been a permanent resident of East Jerusalem. Conflict is something she is familiar with considering her  Armenian heritage. Her family survived the genocide of 1915. Nora has served as a community builder in various religious and civil society circles. She has worked with the YWCA, Sabeel Liberation Theology Center and Kairos Palestine for more than 37 years. She remains closely connected with the World Council of Churches assemblies and events and participates in several global church involvements. A recording of the session can be found on the following link: https://youtu.be/5WqNBVWsKCY

• Lord, we give thanks for Nora Carmi, especially for her deep faith and her untiring commitment to strive peacefully for justice for her community living under occupation.
  Lord, in your mercy…

At the same time as President Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday, the 13th of July, the Israeli military seized a large area of Palestinian land  between Ramallah and Nablus. The land was owned by Palestinian farmers who cultivated olive and almond trees there and are residents of four neighbouring villages. Their appeals for the land went unheeded by the authorities and the land has been declared a security zone set up to protect nearby Israeli settlements and outposts.

• Lord, we pray for Palestinian farmers in the occupied West Bank as they see more and more of their land swallowed up by illegal Israeli settlements. Lord, we cry out to you as we see their livelihoods destroyed and they are left with no recourse to justice.
  Lord in your mercy..

During the Eid al-Adha celebrations last Friday a group of people attended a march organised by the Palestinian Ashtar Theatre as part of a youth festival in Ramallah. The group were attacked by thugs. Initially the Palestinian Authority police dispersed the Palestinian troublemakers. However they attacked the marchers again and ,this time, the police failed to intervene.

• Lord, we pray that the Palestinian Authority will fulfil its responsibility to protect organised events and cultural institutions and to control lawlessness on the streets.
  Lord, in your mercy…

Four out of five children living in Gaza suffer from depression, sadness and fear caused by fifteen years of the Israeli blockade, according to the latest report, entitled ‘Trapped’, by the Save the Children Fund. More than 800,000 children in Gaza have only known life under the blockade and have lived through five escalations of violence and a pandemic. These experiences have left many suffering from anxiety, leading to nightmares and bedwetting and many experience difficulties in concentrating and communicating.

• Lord, we pray for an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza which is bringing untold suffering and anguish to Palestinian families and their children.
  Lord, in your mercy…

On Wednesday, the 13th of July, the Israeli human rights’ group B’Tselem put up billboards and digital screens in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem and Ramallah before President Biden’s visit to Israel. Their message read, ‘Mr President, this is apartheid.’

• Lord, we thank you for the work of B’Tselem, Human Rights’ Watch, Amnesty International and other human rights’ organisations who have reached a consensus that Israel is employing an apartheid regime. We pray that governments around the world will start to demand accountability from Israel for the way they continue to violate the human rights of Palestinians. Lord, in your mercy…

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Djibouti and Somalia.
  Lord, in your mercy…

14.7.22

Next Tuesday Kumi Now will remember the 20th of July, 2004 as the day when the International Court of Justice gave its advisory opinion that the Israeli Apartheid Wall violates international law.

It stated that the wall has led to the destruction and confiscation of Palestinian lands and property and has imposed unlawful restrictions on the movement of Palestinians.

•    Lord, we pray that the Israeli Apartheid Wall will come down, just as the Berlin Wall came down. We pray for an end to the Israeli occupation and that Palestinians will once again be able to live and work freely and peaceably in their land.
Lord, in your mercy..

On Wednesday, the 13th of July, the Friends of Sabeel North America, (FOSNA), held a webinar conversation on liberation theology in the context of Palestine/Israel. This event was held in honour of the memory of Rosemary Radford Ruetter, a pioneering theologian, who died on the 21st of May 2022 after suffering a long illness.

•    Dear Lord, we give thanks for the life and work of Rosemary Ruetter and remember with gratitude her support for FOSNA and her work for the global Sabeel movement.
Lord, in your mercy…

Israel’s Supreme Court gave its ruling on the case of the Israeli military shooting and serious injury of 15-year-old Palestinian Attiya Nabaheen in November 2014. Attiya was shot on his family’s property near Al Bureij, 500 metres from the fence between Israel and Gaza. He has been left with quadriplegia and will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The court ruled that the Israeli government is not liable to compensate Attiya for the Israeli military’s unlawful assault because he is a resident of Gaza, which is deemed ‘enemy territory’.

•    Lord, we pray that this new violation of international law by the Israeli judiciary will be appealed and over-ruled. We pray for Attiya, an innocent young man left with catastrophic injuries, that he may receive due compensation from the Israeli government to ease his sufferings.
Lord, in your mercy…

During the month of July there will be a whole series of events at the Saot Festival which will be hosted by Palestinian filmmakers, artists, chefs and activists to celebrate Palestinian culture in the Neuhoelln neighbourhood of Berlin. It is estimated that there are over 25,000 people of Palestinian descent living in Berlin.

•    Lord, we are thankful that people of Palestinian descent living in Germany are beginning to celebrate their cultural heritage, despite the fact that Germany does not yet recognise Palestinian nationality.
Lord, in your mercy..

On Wednesday, the 6th of July Israeli military forces destroyed water pipelines in the village of Duma, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Israeli soldiers escorted a bulldozer to the local spring and demolished the main water supply used by local Palestinians for their cattle.

•    Lord, we pray that the Israeli authorities will stop pillaging the water resources in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Lord, in your mercy..

The family of Ahmad Harb Ayyad from the Zaitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City have accused Israeli soldiers of beating their son to death. The Israeli military captured the

32-year-old man as he tried to cross the separation barrier in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm to reach his work in Israel.

•    Lord, we pray for the family of Ahmad as they grieve his loss. We pray that the international community will seek to protect Palestinians who are being killed almost every day by the Israeli military.
Lord, in your mercy..

•    We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Lord, in your mercy…

 7^th of July 2022

Next week Kumi Now will mark the 9th of July, 2005 as the date of the launch of the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, BDS seeks to influence faith communities and other organizations and businesses to consider whether their investments in Israel are helping to support the occupation.

• Lord, we pray that more people around the world will be convicted to withdraw investments in companies whose products and services are used to violate international law and human rights in Israel.
  Lord, in your mercy..

The members of Kairos Palestine and Global Kairos for Justice, have produced a theological study here for Christians and civil society organizations to explain what the Israeli crimes of apartheid are. It explains why Palestinians and a growing number of churches and human rights organizations use this word to describe the oppression of the Palestinian people by the state of Israel, a biblical-theological reflection describing the sin of apartheid; with an urgent call to the global church to hear the pleas of Palestinian Christians as well as a list of recommended actions.

• We thank you, God, for the initiative of Kairos Palestine and of Global Kairos for Justice and for the many supporters worldwide. We pray that churches around the world and their members will hear the call and resist the sin of apartheid.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Friends of Sabeel France met to consider the work of the French Development Agency,(AFD), on Sunday, the 26th of June. Thirty members heard how the agency is focused on helping to fund sustainable development and water and sanitation projects in the occupied Palestinian territories.

• Lord, we give thanks for the Friends of Sabeel in France and in many other countries who continue to support and pray for the work of Sabeel and an end to the Israeli occupation.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Last week Ben and Jerry’s ice cream manufacturer released a statement expressing its disappointment with the recent move of Unilever, its parent company. The ice cream manufacturer and Unilever had received harsh criticism for planning to stop selling its product in the occupied Palestinian territories. This week Unilever announced it will now sell Ben and Jerry’s ice cream through its local licensee in the country. Avi Zinger, owner of American Quality Products, will sell the ice cream with a Hebrew or Arabic brand name and Unilever will not profit from the sales.

• Lord, we thank you for those companies who are prepared to review whether their products are profiting the Israeli occupation and the illegal Israeli settlements. We pray for strength and steadfastness for those who are censured for taking an ethical stance.
  Lord, in your mercy..

A Palestinian teenager was arrested by Israeli police after he had reported to them hat he had just managed to flee from a violent sexual assault from a Palestinian employer. He was arrested for illegally entering Israel, but was not admitted to a trauma room to receive medical and psychological attention. His assailant was fined and served a short prison sentence for entering Israel illegally, but he was not charged with sexual assault . The Israeli police representative could not offer any explanation in court for the mishandling of this case and the teenager was released.

• Lord, we pray for the young Palestinian boy who has suffered this assault as he tried to find work. We pray that the Israeli police will review its practices and take due care of all the people they serve, Palestinians and Israelis alike.
  Lord, in your mercy..

On Thursday, the 24th of June, a demonstration was held in Ramallah in memory of Nizar Banat, the Palestinian activist who was arrested and beaten to death by Palestinian security officers. Although fourteen officers were arrested for his death in custody, critics say that justice under the Palestinian Authority is moving too slowly. Recent reports from the United Nations Committee Against Torture and from Human Rights Watch state that both the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza are systematically mistreating and torturing Palestinians in detention.

• Lord, we pray that all those who are guilty of perpetrating abuse and human rights violations will be held to account. We pray that activists like Nizar Banat will be able to voice their concerns and protest peacefully without fear of violence or abuse from Palestinian or Israeli authorities.
  Lord, in your mercy..

• On Friday, the 24th of June, staff members of the Society of Saint Yves Catholic Centre for Human Rights and their accompanying film crew were detained by Israeli soldiers as they tried to carry out work supporting families living in Masafer Yatta who have been  threatened with demolition orders. The soldiers claimed they did not have the proper permits to enter ‘Firing Zone 918’. They were transported to Beersheba in a military vehicle and left without any means of transport back to Jerusalem.

• Lord, we give thanks for the courage and persistence of the members of the Society of St Yves as they try to support the residents of Masafer Yatta living under threat of forcible transfer from their land.
  Lord, in your mercy…

On Saturday, the 9th of July, Muslims in Palestine and in other countries will be gathering in mosques to celebrate Eid al-Adha. Afterwards many will meet up with family and friends to celebrate by eating traditional foods and to share their feasts with less fortunate families.

• We pray for Muslims as they celebrate with their families and for the special care they take over those living in more adverse conditions.
  Lord, in your mercy..

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of  Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda.
  Lord in your mercy…

30^th of June, 2022

This Tuesday Kumi Now considered Israel’s position on nuclear weapons. Next Tuesday marks the halfway mark in the Kumi Now calendar and gives us an opportunity to take stock and look back at the issues covered in the first half of the year by referencing the Kumi Now calendar on the website.

• Lord, we give thanks for all those who work tirelessly to bring an end to the Israeli occupation through the implementation of international law and non-violent means.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Dr. Jerry Pillay has been elected as the new General Secretary of the World Council of Churches. He will take up his leading position on the 1st of January, 2023. Currently he is the Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Pretoria and he is a member of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.

• Lord, we pray for Dr. Jerry Pillay and for his new leadership responsibility in the World Council of Churches. We pray that he will know your strength and guidance as he seeks to draw together people from different church backgrounds and to reach out to those in the world suffering persecution and oppression.
  Lord, in your mercy…

Hundreds of Palestinians took part in the funeral of Ali Hasan Harb in the West Bank village of Iskaka, near Salfit on Wednesday, the 22nd of June, after he had been stabbed and killed by a settler the day before. Eye witnesses report that Harb was stabbed in his heart by a settler who was part of a group attempting to erect a tent on his family’s land. The stabbing took place while security guards from the nearby Ariel settlement, Israeli police and soldiers looked on and did nothing to prevent the attack.

• Lord, we cry out to you over this spiralling violence and brazen attacks by settlers on Palestinian farmers. We pray that the Israeli authorities will step in and control  perpetrators of lawlessness and bring them to justice.
  Lord, in your mercy…

Communities in Masafer Yatta in the South Hebron Hills are facing increased pressure since the Israeli High Court of Justice rejected their appeals against their eviction orders in May. Dozens of people in Khirbet al Fakhiet and Mirkez have had their homes demolished, in some cases for the third time in less than a year. The area is now designated as a closed military training site, ‘Firing Zone 918’, and military exercises have recently been launched close to residential areas.

• Lord, we pray that the international humanitarian community will hold Israel to account for the demolitions and threats of forcible transfer of the Palestinian residents of Masafer Yatta. We pray for an end to the military intimidation and that the residents should be allowed to remain in their homes in safety and dignity.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Palestinian students are taking their ‘tawjihi’, or matriculation examinations, at this time in the academic year. One student, Ahmed al Naasan, was prevented from sitting this important examination when the Israeli military arrested him in a dawn raid on the village of Al-Mughayer in Ramallah. He was detained on Monday, the 20th of June, with ten other Palestinians in different areas.

• Lord, we pray that Palestinian students will do their best to acquit themselves well in their final school examinations, despite the pressures of the occupation. We hold Ahmed in our prayers as he endures detention in an Israeli military facility and pray for his release and a way forward for him to matriculate.
  Lord, in your mercy..

On Wednesday, the 22nd of June, the Israeli Parole Committee designated the case of Ahmed Manasra as a case of ‘terrorism’. Ahmed was imprisoned at the age of thirteen and he has developed a serious mental health condition since his arrest as a child, seven years ago. Amnesty International has called for his release stating, ‘he endured ill-treatment during interrogations which were conducted without his parents or lawyers’ presence and was denied the right to a fair trial.’

• Merciful Lord, we pray that international pressure will bring about the release of Ahmed Manasra after the long years of suffering and confinement he has endured. We pray for an end to the Israeli policy of arresting Palestinian children and  detaining them in Israeli military prisons.
  Lord, in your mercy…

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Kenya and Tanzania.
  Lord, in your mercy…

23.6.22

Kumi Now focused on the plight of the Palestinian refugees this week. Next Tuesday, Kumi Now will mark the anniversary of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, (NPT),on the 1st of July, by considering Israel’s position on nuclear weapons. Israel built the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Centre near Dimona in the 1950’s, but has not yet openly admitted to owning nuclear weapons and is one of only five other countries in the world which is not party to the NPT treaty.

•    Lord, we know the devastating power of nuclear weapons and yet Israel remains secretive about its development and distribution of these weapons. We pray that the government of Israel will declare how it is deploying its weapons and will sign up to the NPT treaty to limit their use.
Lord, in your mercy…

Nadine Bitar will lead the prayers and Bible study at the Sabeel Online Service on Thursday, the 23rd of June. Nadine is the General Secretary for the Youth of Jesus’ Homeland. This is a volunteer-based mission administered by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, serving more than 3,500 young people between the ages of 7-35 years.

•    Lord, we give thanks for Nadine Bitar as she leads the worship this week at the Sabeel Online Service while the Rev. Naim Ateek is away.
Lord, in your mercy..

On Wednesday, the 15th of June, the global Christian charity, World Vision, expressed its disappointment over the decision of the Israeli District Court to convict Mohammed El Halabi .The court stated that El Halabi was guilty of diverting huge sums of charitable funds to armed groups in Gaza. World Vision stated that,’there have been irregularities in the trial process and a lack of substantive publicly available evidence’.

•    Lord, we pray for Mohammed El Halabi as he has already been imprisoned for six years on a charge of diverting charitable funds. We pray that his case may be appealed and that he is not convicted on the basis of secret evidence or coerced confession.
Lord, in your mercy..

An Israeli police investigation into officers’ attacks on the mourners at Shireen Abu Aqleh’s funeral concluded that it was a case of police misconduct. However, before the investigation started, it had been agreed that none of the officers involved in the incident would face any disciplinary action.

•    Lord, people around the world were deeply shocked when they saw on their screens the violent assaults carried out by Israeli police on the Palestinian mourners and pallbearers at Shireen Abu Aqleh’s funeral. Such irreverent and violating images are difficult to erase from the memory, even if the Israeli police authorities plan to cover them over.
Lord, in your mercy…

Matan Kahana, a senior member of Israel’s coalition, caused anger on Tuesday when a recording of a remark he made at a boys school in Efrat on the previous day was broadcast. He said, ‘If there was a button I could press that would take all the Arabs and put them on a train to Switzerland, I would.’ He is the Deputy Religious Affairs Minister in Naftali Bennett’s right-wing Yamina Party.

•    Lord, we pray for the end of racism of any kind. May all politicians work towards equality and justice for all the peoples of this land.
Lord, in your mercy..

On Tuesday, the 14th of June, security guards employed by the Palestinian Authority violently dispersed a student rally at An Najah University, Nablus. The students had been protesting over the university administration’s decision to expel ten students. Five members of the Islamic bloc and five members of its rival Shabiba group were expelled after getting involved in a brawl the previous week.

•    Lord, we pray that the violence among the student body and with the security guards will calm down at the university in Nablus. We pray that student grievances will be expressed and that the administration will do all in its power to meet reasonable requests.
Lord, in your mercy..

The Palestinian Prisoner Society stated on Wednesday, the 15th of June, that there are now six Palestinians in Israeli prisons who have gone on hunger strike in protest at their conditions of imprisonment. Among the prisoners are Khalil Awawdeh from Dora town in the south of the West Bank, who has been on hunger strike for 105 days and Raed Rayyan from Beit Duqqo near Jerusalem, who has been on hunger strike for 70 days.

•    Lord, we pray for Khalil and Raed and the other prisoners in their suffering as they protest their prolonged administrative detention and their harsh prison conditions. We pray for an end to the Israeli policy of using administrative detention orders to hold Palestinian prisoners for undefined periods on secret charges without hope of a trial or release.
Lord, in your mercy..

•    We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of  Malawi and Zambia.
Lord, in your mercy..

16^th of June 2022

This week Kumi Now considered ethical tourism and pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Next week, Kumi Now will consider  the plight of Palestinian refugees as we mark World Refugee Day on Monday, the 20th of June. More than 5.6 million Palestinian refugees were registered with the UN in 2019 and more than 1.5 million of these refugees live in camps run by UNRWA.

• Father God, our steadfast hope, we pray for Palestinian refugees, now the world’s oldest unsettled refugee population. We pray for their right of return to their homeland, affirmed by the UN over seventy years ago.
  Lord in your mercy…

On Thursday, the 16th of June, Father David Neuhaus will lead the Sabeel Online Service. Father David is an Israeli Jesuit born to German Jewish parents in Johannesburg. He moved to Israel at the age of 15 years. He became a Roman Catholic at 26 and an ordained priest in Jerusalem at the age of 38. He has held a number of teaching and pastoral roles and he is currently the Secretary-General-Coordinator in Jerusalem responsible for communication to the Synod.

• Lord, we are thankful for the weekly Sabeel Online Service which reaches out across the world to Christians with a special burden of prayer for the Palestinian people. Thank you that in Rev. Naim Ateek’s absence, other priests have stepped forward to lead our prayers and meditations on the Word.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Sabeel Nazareth will hold an event on Friday, the 17th June to honour Violette Khoury as she retires from leading the group after twenty years. Violet has been a supporter of the work of Sabeel from its beginnings. She has lived her whole life in very difficult circumnutates as a Palestinian citizen of Israel, and yet she has still managed to run her own pharmacy, support her family and to engage in advocacy work for Sabeel.

• Lord, we celebrate the hard work and faithful dedication of Violette Khoury. We pray that her retirement celebration will be a joyous and memorable occasion.
  Lord, in your mercy…

B’tselem has just released its report on the uprooting of olive saplings on Saturday, the 14th of May, in Turmusaya, a Palestinian village in the district of Ramallah. The report reveals that three masked settlers uprooted 190 saplings under the protection of an Israeli military patrol. This is the second crop of olive trees that have been destroyed in these fields by settlers this year, bringing ruinous cost and anguish to the Palestinian farmers.

• Lord, we bring before you the Palestinian farmers trying to raise their crops only to have them vandalised by the settlers. Where can these farmers turn to when the Israeli military look on and protect the vandals in this devastation?
  Lord, in your mercy…

The United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported on Sunday, the 5th of June, that a building of twelve housing units is under imminent threat of demolition in the Wadi Qaddum area of the neighbourhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem.

If the demolition goes ahead 32 adults and 42 children will be forcibly evicted. The Israeli authorities wish to have the site left as a public garden.

• Lord, we pray that this demolition will not go ahead. We pray for the Palestinian families living with the stress caused by this demolition order, some of whom have already had to move from buildings which have been demolished.
  Lord, in your mercy…

On Wednesday, the 8th of June, the Greek Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over the trespass carried out by members of a Jewish seminary on the Greek Garden on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.

• Lord, we pray that there will be a thorough investigation carried out into the desecration of the holy site belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church. We pray that the Israeli authorities will put an end to the repeated attacks being carried out on Christian and Islamic holy sites.
  Lord, in your mercy..

The Israeli Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday, the 8th of June, that the settler group, Ateret Cohanim, purchased property legally from the Greek Orthodox Church. The settler group bought three buildings  in East Jerusalem from the church in a controversial secret deal in 2004. This recent court decision means that a proposed takeover by settlers of the Imperial Hotel, run by Palestinian Christians, at Jaffa Gate in the Christian Quarter is looking more likely. 

• Lord, we pray that many church leaders and the international community will challenge the recent Israeli legal ruling, which appears to legitimise the theft of church property and threatens a further attempt to evict Jerusalemite Palestinians.
  Lord, in your mercy…

An independent commission of inquiry, set up by the UN Human Rights Council after the 2021 Israeli assault on Gaza, has concluded that Israel must end its occupation. The report was released on Tuesday, the 7th of June. It states that Israel is pursuing “complete control” over the occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. It gives evidence to show that Israel has been ‘acting to alter the demography through the maintenance of a repressive environment for Palestinians and a favourable environment for Israeli settlers.’

• Lord, we pray that the ongoing mandate of the UN commission will continue to highlight the injustices suffered by Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. We pray that the UN and the international community will hold Israel to account and work with them to bring an end to the occupation and to the establishment of equal human rights to Palestinians, as well as Israelis.
  Lord, in your mercy..

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Botswana and Zimbabwe.
  Lord, in your mercy…

 9^th of June 2022

This week Kumi Now looked at the environmental damage being inflicted on the land of Palestine by the Israeli occupation.
Next week, on Tuesday, the 7th of June, Kumi Now will look towards the summer season as Palestinian schools and colleges begin their vacation period. Tourists and pilgrims are beginning to return to the Holy Land after the pandemic lockdown. They can make ethical decisions in the  travel companies they choose to support by enquiring whether those companies are profiting illegal Israeli settlements.

• God, we bring to you the Palestinian people who have suffered during the pandemic when the tourist industry ceased. We pray that more tourists and pilgrims returning to the Holy Land will choose ethical tours and help Palestinian guides struggling to support their families. Lord, in your mercy..

More than one hundred organisations and individuals have endorsed a letter from Friends of Sabeel in North America, (FOSNA), calling on President Biden to help protect and defend the Palestinian Christian presence in Jerusalem and to meet with Christian leaders. It also calls for an investigation into the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh and that all Status Quo agreements over Jerusalem should be observed.

• Lord, we pray that the US government will take notice of the FOSNA letter and will undertake to work with the Israeli government to ensure that Jerusalem remains a city in which Christians, Muslims and Jews can continue to worship freely and that all Status Quo agreements over Jerusalem should be observed . Lord, in your mercy…

Three sisters from Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, have been diagnosed with conditions that cause irreversible kidney damage. Suzan,(21) Saja,(15) and Sama Khatab(!0) all need to travel to hospitals in the West Bank for specialist treatment.The Israeli authorities are refusing to allow their mother to escort them, even though their serious condition means they cannot travel alone.

• Lord of all compassion and mercy, we pray that the Khatab family will receive the travel permits they need so urgently. We pray for an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza and for the unspeakable suffering and stress it causes those living in the enclave. Lord, in your mercy..

The ‘Masahatuna’ or “Our Spaces’ app has been developed by a local computer engineer, Alaa  Huthut, to enable women in Gaza to report any domestic abuse they are suffering. The app allows them to register for help and advice from care centres without them having to leave their names or leaving any trace of contact on their phones.

• Lord, we bring before you those women who struggle to cope with violence and stress as they try to care for their families in a place of grinding poverty and instability. We thank you for those organisations ready to reach out to help them in times of crisis. Lord, in your mercy..

Sabeel Jerusalem is planning a meeting for its Bible study facilitators in the town of Taybeh on Friday, the 10th of June. Taybeh is a majority Christian town in the West Bank, northeast of Ramallah.

• Lord, we pray that this meeting will be a time of refreshment and encouragement for the Sabeel Bible study facilitators.  We pray that your word will continue to guide and comfort those who meditate on it. Lord, in your mercy…

On Thursday, the 2nd of June, the Sabeel Women’s group visited the Golan Heights in southwest Syria. After 1967 Israel occupied the land and forcibly transferred 95% of the native Syrian population. Since President Trump recognised Israel’s claim to sovereignty over the region in 2019, the Israeli government has pursued a policy of expanding its settlement population in the area.

• Lord, we pray that the women’s group which visited the Golan Heights will appreciate the difficulties faced by the Syrians living under Israeli annexation, which are similar to the loss of rights experienced by Palestinians living in East Jerusalem. Lord, in your mercy…

Levels of violence perpetrated by Israeli forces against Palestinians continue to rise. In the course of two days last week four Palestinians were shot in unrelated incidents. A 17-year -old boy, Odeh Mohammed Odeh, was shot in the chest and killed by Israeli forces in al-Midya, a village west of Ramallah. A female Palestinian journalist, Ghufran Warasneh was shot and killed at the entrance to the Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, on her third day of a new job at a radio station.

• Lord, we pray for the families of Odeh and Ghufran and the other Palestinian victims who have died this week as they grieve their loss. We pray for an end to the violence being used extensively by the Israeli military on the Palestinian people. Lord, in your mercy…

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Eswatini. Lord, in your mercy…

June 2^nd 2022

The Global Day of Parents was observed by the UN on Wednesday, the 1st of June. On this day many Palestinian parents will be thinking of their children caught up in the Israeli military court system or grieving for those shot and killed by Israeli soldiers. Sabeel will be hosting the Parents’ Circle, an organization which draws together Palestinian and Israeli bereaved families and which recently addressed the UN Security Council, (26.5.22)

Next week Kumi Now will be focusing on the devastation wreaked on Palestinian land by the Israeli occupation, as we mark ‘World Environment Day’ on Sunday, the 5th of June.

•    Our God, our Creator, we cry out to you as we see the damage done to the Palestinian land and her people under the Israeli occupation. We pray for justice and peace for all people living in the Holy Land and for the restoration of the polluted environment there. Lord, in your mercy..

The death of Rosemary Radford Ruether  was announced on the 21st of May. She was an outspoken theologian whose writings focused on feminist theology, as well as liberation theology, particularly in Latin America and Palestine.

•    Lord, we give thanks for the life and work of Rosemary and pray for her family as they grieve her loss. We are especially thankful for her many years of support for Sabeel and for her advocacy for justice for the Palestinian people. Lord, in your mercy..

Global Kairos for Asia Pacific Palestinian Solidarity has just published its closing statement summarizing contributions from their recent four day conference, (April 27-30th), based in Taiwan. The group has supporters in more than 21 countries in the Asia/Pacific area and they came together to consider the struggles of different groups of marginalized people and how they could be inspired by the non-violent resistance of the Palestinians living under occupation.

•    ‘Lord, you work righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed,’,(Psalm 103:6). Strengthen us, Lord, and continue to give hope to those facing seemingly hopeless situations, living under regimes intent on depriving them of the right to life, land and livelihood. Lord, in your mercy…

The US State Department has just removed the ultra-nationalist Israeli group known as ‘Kahane Chai’ or ‘Kach’ from its list of foreign terrorist organizations. The founder of the group, Meir Kahane used to advocate openly for Palestinians to be expelled from their homeland. His followers continue to carry out violent attacks.

•    Lord, we pray that civil authorities in the US and around the world will continue to monitor and proscribe groups focused on the unleashing of hatred and racism. Lord, in your mercy..

A CNN investigation published on Tuesday, the 24th of May, suggested that Palestinian American journalist Shereen Abu Aqleh was killed by targeted Israeli fire. The investigation was based on eleven videos of the incident and eight eye-witness testimonies. The witnesses have discounted the Israeli military claim that there was ‘widespread and uncontrolled gunfire‘ in the area at the time the reporter was shot.

•    Lord, we pray that the international community will carry out a full investigation into Shereen’s killing, that the full circumstances will be established and that any perpetrators of violence will be held to account. Lord, in your mercy…

On Saturday, the 21st of May, Nooran Alhamdan, a Palestinian-American student at Georgetown University, Washington D.C. refused to shake hands with the Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, at her graduation ceremony. She explained that this was in protest against the US support of Israel. Nooran and her classmates carried posters which commemorated Shereen Abu Aqleh, as they went to collect their certificates.

•    Lord, we give thanks for the courage of young Palestinians living in the diaspora who continue to raise their voices in non-violent protest against the violence perpetrated against Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. Lord, in your mercy…

The Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions, (ICHAD), continues to monitor and record the number of Palestinian homes, as well as essential structures needed for maintaining livelihood such as barns, cisterns, fencing, which are demolished by the Israeli authorities. There has been an increase in the number of demolitions carried out recently in urban areas, such as in East Jerusalem  as well as in more rural areas such as the Jordan Valley and in the Salfit area in Palestine.

•    Lord, we pray that international governments and organizations will challenge the land clearance and the demolition of  Palestinian homes and property being carried out with such rapacity by the Israeli authorities. Lord, in your mercy…

•    We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Angola and Mozambique. Lord, in your mercy…

26^th of May 2022

This week’s Kumi Now online gathering focused on how Palestinians are working to preserve their culture and history.

Next week, on Tuesday, the 31st of May, the topic will be the high number of child fatalities in Palestine. Defence for Children International Palestine monitors these fatalities and records widespread Israeli military violations against Palestinian children living under occupation.

•    Merciful Lord, we bring before you the children of Palestine. So many of these children suffer death, injury, imprisonment and trauma under Israeli occupation. We pray for an end to the occupation and a restoration of the human rights of all the children living in the Holy Land.
Lord, in your mercy..

In the first week of May the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the Israeli authorities can destroy eight villages in the Masafer Yatta area of the South Hebron Hills and expel more than 1,200 Palestinian inhabitants permanently. The area is designated a firing zone, but illegal outposts which have been set up by Israeli settlers in the area will not be destroyed.

•    Lord, we pray that the international community will call the Israeli government and its judicial system to account for the way it is dismissing international  humanitarian law. We pray that pressure from governments around the world will stop the forcible transfer of Palestinians living in the Masafer Yatta area.
Lord, in your mercy..

The Israeli government and police have agreed to allow the Jerusalem Day march to go ahead on Sunday, the 29th of May. The route will take Israelis through the Muslim Quarter and they will enter the Old City through the Damascus Gate as they proceed to the Western Wall. The day is a celebration of the Israeli conquest of the Old City and East Jerusalem in the 1967 War and it has become a way for nationalists to assert Israeli sovereignty throughout the city.

•    Lord, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We pray that this provocative march be  cancelled altogether and that International Law be respected in occupied East Jerusalem.
Lord, in your mercy..

On Sunday, the 16th of May, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected several petitions against a controversial cable car project. Israeli supporters of the project want to connect the western and eastern sides of the city. The cable car is set to pass over the Jewish Karaite cemetery and will reach the City of David park in Silwan, a Palestinian neighbourhood, whose residents have long faced eviction. The historical skyline of the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem will be dominated by the cable car construction.

•    Lord, we pray that there will be a review of this project which threatens to further diminish the Palestinian presence and to assert Jewish sovereignty in the city of Jerusalem.
Lord, in your mercy…

Thousands of people gathered in the US city of Paterson, New Jersey to celebrate the renaming of part of the Main Street, as ‘Palestine Way’. Paterson City Council renamed  the street in honour of the contribution its Palestinian community has made to civic life. Alaa Abdelaziz, the city’s first Palestinian-American councillor commented, ‘It’s a celebration, but it’s also showing that Palestinians are human. We are Americans and we will never forget where we come from.’

•    Lord, we thank you for the contributions Palestinians in the diaspora make to their local communities. We pray that the Palestinians living abroad will continue to support and advocate for their families still living under the grip of the Israeli occupation.
Lord, in your mercy..

Aida Abu Farha, from the town of al-Jalama, near Jenin in the occupied West Bank, has now received widespread recognition for her mastery of the Palestinian art of ‘zajal’, a traditional form of oral poetry. This ancient form of artistic expression used to be the sole preserve of men, but Aida has persevered and studied to improve her skills at composing  ‘zajal’. She is now invited to perform at many different cultural occasions.

Lord, we give thanks for the gifts you have given Aida and her determination to persevere with her studies and performance despite facing discrimination. We are thankful that she intends to pass on this precious heritage to the younger generation.
Lord, in your mercy..

The six Palestinian NGO’s designated by Israel as ‘terror organisations’ have called on the international community to take action against Israel’s unfounded harassment of them. Israel claims it has ‘secret evidence’ which condemns them, but has failed to provide any concrete evidence. Last week the Carter Center confirmed it would continue to support the organisations and denounced Israel’s move as a way to ‘silence voices calling for accountability for the Israeli occupation authorities.’

•    Lord, we pray for the Palestinian organisations working to defend the human rights of the poor and defenceless in their society, that any false witness against them may be withdrawn.
Lord, in your mercy..

At a news conference at St Joseph’s Hospital in East Jerusalem on Monday, the 16th of May, Christian leaders of 15 denominations condemned the violent intrusion of Israeli police at Shereen Abu Aqleh’s funeral procession. Monsignor Tomasz Grysa, the Vatican’s representative in Jerusalem, accused Israel of brutally violating an agreement to uphold religious freedom. Patriarch Pizzaballa described the disproportionate use of force by the Israeli police as, ‘a severe violation of the international norms and regulations, including the fundamental human right of freedom of religion.’

•    Lord, we cry out to you over the killing of Shereen and for the brutal violence used by Israeli police on the mourners at her funeral. We continue to pray that the international community will carry out a full investigation into her death and funeral and hold to account those who perpetrate injustice.
Lord, in your mercy..

•    We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the Indian Ocean Islands: Comoros, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles.
Lord, in your mercy..

19.5.22

Christ at the Checkpoint is inviting people to attend the 2022 conference in Bethlehem, which is entitled, ‘Am I my neighbour’s keeper?’ . It will take place between the 26th-29th of May. (http://christatthecheckpoint.bethlc.edu)

• Risen Lord Jesus, we pray that the speakers at this Bethlehem conference will be guided by your light to seek out new paths of peace in Palestine/Israel.
  Lord, in your mercy..

On Wednesday 11^th May, Al Jazeera journalist Shereen Abu Aqleh was killed as she prepared to report on Israeli raids in Jenin. Abu Aqleh, a Palestinian Christian with American citizenship is believed to have been shot by Israeli occupation forces. Following her death, Israeli forces attacked mourners at her funeral in Jerusalem, at one point causing her coffin to fall. 

• Dear Lord, we pray that Shereen rest in peace and rise in glory. We pray that her family find peace as they grieve her death. May those in the international community speak up against these injustices, work to ensure a full investigation, and bring those responsible to justice.
  Lord, in your mercy…

In the UK the Balfour Project will be hosting an online conference over two afternoons, on the 17th and 18th of May. The conference is entitled, ‘Abandoning Palestine: the end of the British Mandate and our continuing responsibility.’ (http://balfourproject.org)

• Lord God, we pray that this conference will help to raise awareness of Britain’s responsibility to fulfil its role to help establish equal rights for the Palestinians, as well as the Israeli people.
  Lord, in your mercy…

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister visited Jerusalem on Wednesday, the 11th of May, to sign a co-operation deal with Israel. Kosovo, whose status as an independent country is disputed by a majority of the member states of the UN, declared its intention to open its embassy in Jerusalem. Most countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv and are opposed to Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem.

• Merciful Father, we continue to pray for peace in the city of Jerusalem. We pray that any competing claims over the city will be resolved through negotiations based on international law and not dictated by short-term political and economic moves.
  Lord, in your mercy..

On Wednesday, the 11th of May, Palestinian residents of Jabal al Tawil, near the city of Al-Bireh were protesting at a nearby illegal settlement, when Israeli soldiers opened fire on them. Thayer Yazouri, 18, was shot directly in the heart and was killed, while another Palestinian teenager was injured in his leg.

• Lord, we pray for the family of Thayer as they grieve his untimely death and pray for the recovery of the other Palestinian boy who was injured. We pray for an end to the policy of the Israeli military to shoot and kill Palestinian protestors.
  Lord, in your mercy…

The Israeli government is set to put forward plans for 4,000 illegal settler homes to be built in the occupied West Bank. If the plans are approved, this move will mark the largest advancement of illegal settlements since President Biden’s administration took office.

• Lord, we pray that the international community, including the US administration, will speak out over this further violation of international law proposed by the Israeli government. Lord, we cry out to you as the Palestinians look set to lose even more land.
  Lord, in your mercy..

In Gaza Tuesday, the 10th of May marked a grim anniversary of the outbreak of hostilities inflicted on them last year by the Israeli military. According to the records of the United Nations, 260 Palestinians were killed during the Israeli attacks, including 66 children. In Israel 12 civilians were killed as a result of indiscriminate rocket attacks from Gaza. 

Israeli restrictions on the movement of people and goods across the borders of the enclave remain in place and are leading to further impoverishment.

• Lord, we pray for an end to the Israeli blockade of Gaza so that the area can have the opportunity to recover from desperate poverty and devastation.
  Lord, in your mercy..

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal.
  Lord, in your mercy..