Sabeel Wave of Prayer
8.4.21

This week’s Kumi Now online gathering will consider the issue of Palestinian minors prosecuted in Israeli military courts. The Prisoner Support Association, Addameer, reports that about 700 Palestinian children under the age of 18 years are prosecuted every year in Israeli military courts after being arrested, interrogated and detained by the Israeli military.  https://kuminow.com/register/

•    Lord, we pray that Palestinian children in the occupied Palestinian territories should be afforded all their legal rights according to international law. We continue to pray for the end of the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Kairos Palestine has released its 2021 Easter Alert, focusing on the city of Jerusalem.

‘This year, may Easter, the celebration of resurrection, be a celebration of new peace, love, and full equality for all the people in Jerusalem, the entire region and the whole world. The people of Jerusalem are responsible, the international community is responsible, and so are the Churches, to bring back to Jerusalem its holiness where justice, peace, and love may prevail.’

•    Lord of all hopefulness, ‘Your steadfast love never ceases, your mercies never come to an end,’(Lam.3:22). We pray for the restoration of the holy city of Jerusalem into a city of peace, reconciliation and love. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

In Israel more than five million people have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and the infection rate is dropping. While in the occupied Palestinian Territories coronavirus cases are rising, particularly in Gaza. So far Israel has failed to honor its responsibilities as an occupying power to provide vaccines to the almost five million Palestinians living under its military occupation.

•    Lord, you are the help and deliverer to those in need. We bring before you all those living in poorer countries, that the rich and powerful countries will share vaccine stocks, so that all may receive protection from the virus. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Palestinian workers were chased by Israeli soldiers near the village of Rummanah by the separation wall near Jenin on Sunday, the 28th of March. During this incident Mahmoud Qasrawi fell to the ground and sustained a severe head wound. He was rushed to the intensive care unit at Rafidia Hospital, Nablus.

•    Lord we remember all Palestinian workers who have to go through great difficulties to earn their daily bread. We pray for Mahmoud Qasrawi, that he would receive the treatment he needs in hospital to recover from his serious injury. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Sunday, the 28th of March a group of Israeli settlers set up a tent on Palestinian-owned land in the town of Taqou’, to the east of Bethlehem. This is the first step in establishing a new settlement outpost which would prevent Palestinian farmers from being able to access and cultivate their land.

•    Lord, we pray for an end to the rapid expansion of illegal Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

After serving twenty years as a political prisoner Magd Barbar, 45, was finally released on Monday, the 29th of March. However, his family celebrations, which are not allowed by the Israeli authorities, were short-lived. Israeli soldiers raided his home on Tuesday night and rearrested him because of the celebration. He was released the following day.

•    Lord Jesus, we pray for the thousands of Palestinians now serving as political prisoners in Israeli jails. ‘You give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:79) Lord in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Palestinians commemorated the 45th anniversary of Land Day on Tuesday, the 30th of March. Six Palestinians were killed and many more injured on that day in 1976 when they demonstrated against the Israeli expropriation of their land. The Israeli annexation of Palestinian land inside Israel and the West Bank continues unabated.

•    Lord, we pray that the international rule of law will challenge the Israeli authorities and will prevent the perpetration of crimes against the Palestinian people. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Tony Davies died on Tuesday, the 23rd of February at the age of 87 years after many years of campaigning for the rights of Palestinians. He was an active member of the Kairos movement, attending national meetings as well as organising local Kairos meetings in Exeter. He was also active in the Devon Quaker working group on Israel and Palestine.

•    Lord, we give thanks for the life and witness of Tony Davis. We pray for his wife and his family and friends as they grieve his loss. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

•    We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of the Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

1.04.21

This week’s Kumi Now online gathering will look at the living conditions for the residents of Gaza. Two million people live in the enclave, making it one of the most densely populated places on earth. However, the population has been denied access to vital natural resources under the blockade from Israel and Egypt since 2007.

April 5 is Palestinian Children’s Day, April 7^th Kumi Now will host Military Court Watch and focus on Palestinian minors in Israeli military courts.

Register here: https://kuminow.com/register/

• Lord, we pray for the people of Gaza as they try to survive under the harsh conditions imposed on them. We pray that the blockade will be lifted and that hope will be restored to them. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Sabeel, with the cooperation of it friends, is holding online worship services during the season of Lent. On the 27th of March, a worship service a day before Palm Sunday with the Ecumenical Palestine Israel Network in Australia was held. On the 3rd of April there will be a worship service with Friends of Sabeel North America and on the 10th of April there will be a worship service with Friends of Sabeel-Kairos UK.  

• Lord, your word is upright and all your work is done in faithfulness, (Ps.33:4). We pray for the preparation of these Sabeel services, that they would reflect your steadfast and faithful love. Lord in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Hundreds of Palestinians protested in Umm al-Fahm and Qalansawe in Israel on Friday, the 19th of March, for the tenth consecutive week. The demonstrators are challenging the lack of Israeli police action in investigating a recent spate of homicide cases and no attempt to curb a rise in unlicensed arms sales.

• Lord, we pray for peace and justice in the Palestinian Arab community in Israel. We pray that they may have access to due process under the law, without discrimination. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

After twenty years of planning and construction a new wastewater treatment plant has been put into operation in Gaza, with help from German investment. The plant has been built in the town of Bureij and will process wastewater from eleven communities with one million inhabitants. It will be powered by a biogas plant and a solar plant on the same site.

• Lord, we are thankful that many families in Gaza will now have access to potable water. We continue to pray for those people who go for days without running water due to the low levels of freshwater in the ground reserves. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Dr Beshara Doumani has been appointed the President of Birzeit University at the start of the next academic year. Dr Doumani is currently the Professor of History at Brown University in the US and he established the Centre for Middle East Studies there.

• Lord, we are thankful for the academic gifts of Dr Doumani and we pray that he will lead Birzeit University with wisdom and vision in his forthcoming presidency. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Living conditions in Gaza have deteriorated with the coronavirus pandemic. Many suffering poverty and illness have turned to the Caritas Gaza Medical Centre for help in their need.

Workers from the Centre have visited 10,000 people suffering from the virus and trying to cope at home.

• Lord Jesus, as we prepare for Passion Week we think of your life on earth and the way you showed mercy to all those in need. Before you faced your death on the cross, you spoke to your followers and told them, ‘I was sick and you visited me,’(Matt.25:35). Thank you, Lord, that the Caritas workers in Gaza live out your call to care for the sick and needy. We pray for protection and strength for them in their work. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

‘Pilgrimages with a Mission’ will be the theme of a webinar hosted by Gied ten Berge (in English) from the Luce Centre for Religious Communication at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, on the 29th of April at 3pm. Gied will be discussing the Palestinian ‘Come and See’ Initiative which was the basis for a PhD thesis, recently translated into English.

Register here: Dibsa 2.7.0 (uvt.nl)

• Lord, we pray that, once the pandemic is over, pilgrims will once again visit the Holy Land to meet Palestinians and to see for themselves what life is like for Palestinians living under the Israeli occupation. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Sabeel Wave of Prayer
25.3.21

The Kumi Now Online gathering on Tuesday, the 23rd of March at 6pm,(Jerusalem Time), will consider how the Israeli authorities control and exploit the natural resources of the occupied Palestinian Territories. March 30^th online gathering will focus on the conditions in Gaza. https://zoom.us/j/94679502800

• Lord, we pray for an end to the Israeli occupation and for a fair allocation of the wealth of natural resources in the Holy Land. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

On Saturday, the 13th of March, Said Alayan had driven his whole family to tend his land in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron. While they were working on the land settlers from the illegal outpost of MitzpeYair assaulted them, injuring him and his wife and vandalising their car.

• Lord, we pray for an end to these violent and unprovoked attacks by settlers on Palestinian farmers. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Ahmad Hejazi and his family from the Silwan neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem began clearing all their possessions from their home on the evening of Saturday, the 13th of March. Their home is now under threat of demolition from the municipality. Ahmad had built his home in 2014, without obtaining a permit, as he could not meet the stringent requirements demanded by the Israeli authorities.

• Lord, we pray for an end to the discriminatory building policies and the rapid increase in house demolitions carried out against Palestinian families in Jerusalem and throughout the occupied Palestinian Territories. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

On Sunday, the 14th of March, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor condemned the three recent Israeli court decisions rejecting the appeals against house demolitions for Palestinian families living in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. It stated that the displacement of Palestinians and the establishment of Jewish buildings and landmarks reflect the apartheid system that Israel pursues using discriminatory laws and unfair policies.

• Lord we pray that voices from around the world will be raised to challenge and condemn the way the Israeli authorities are using house demolitions to displace the Palestinian citizens of occupied East Jerusalem and elsewhere in the West Bank. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers. 

Khalil Taqtaq is one of a number of Palestinian farmers from Salfit who are cut off from their land by the separation barrier. The Israeli authorities grant permits for them to access their land on certain days. Khalil and the other farmers were surprised when no soldiers came to open the barrier gate on the appointed day. On the following day, Monday, the 15th of March, they were allowed entrance but they were then forced to wait for hours for the gate to be unlocked so they could return home.

• Lord, we pray for the dismantling of the separation barrier which cuts off Palestinians from their communities and their land. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Sami Dababneh, passed away at the age of 55, due to Covid-19. Sami was a school teacher and his family is the last remaining Christian family in the village of Sebastia. He was buried in the cemetery of his fathers and grandfathers in front of the church of the beheading of John the Baptist in the ancient city, built according to the text of the Bible in the eighth century BC at the time of King Omari. 

• Lord, we pray for Sami and for his wife and family who grieve his loss. We thank you for his Christian witness, for his gentle heart and kind and sincere character. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Sabeel, with the cooperation of it friends, is holding online worship services during the season of Lent. On the 27th of March, there will be a worship service a day before Palm Sunday with the Ecumenical Palestine Israel Network in Australia. On the 3rd of April there will be a worship service with Friends of Sabeel North America and on the 10th of April there will be a worship service with Friends of Sabeel-Kairos UK.  

• Lord, your word is upright and all your work is done in faithfulness, (Ps.33:4). We pray for the preparation of these Sabeel services, that they would reflect your steadfast and faithful love. Lord in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Al Mamal is holding an online exhibition which showcases the work of 37 contemporary Palestinian artists. The online exhibition will be showing paintings, drawings, photographs and sculpture for art lovers to view until the 31st of March.

• Lord, we thank you for the creative gifts of artists who use different media to express their response to the challenges we face. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

The new variant of the Covid-19 virus has hit the Palestinian population hard. Many people living in the city of Bethlehem have been infected, despite following strict preventative measures. Residents of the home for the elderly of the Anthonian Society, including the sisters and volunteers who work there, have been particularly affected.

• Lord, we pray that  the recent donation of the vaccine doses from the World Health Organisation, under the Covax programme, will help to bring the  coronavirus infection rates down in the occupied Palestinian Territories. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Estonia,Latvia and Lithuania. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Thursday 18^th March 2021

Olive trees will be the topic for discussion at the Kumi Now online gathering on Tuesday, the 16th of March at 6pm, Jerusalem Time. We will be joined by Father Raed Abu Sahlieh, founder of the Olive Branch Foundation. https://zoom.us/j/94679502800

• Lord, we pray for farmers who cultivate olive groves to earn their livelihood in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We pray for an end to the wanton destruction of the olive trees by Israeli settlers who seek to force the farmers off the land. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Friday, the 5th of March it was announced that Professor Mahmoud Sirdah from

Al Azhar University, Gaza, has won the prestigious Global Faculty Award. He is the Professor of Blood Pathophysiology and Molecular Genetics and the award recognises the outstanding contribution he has made to his profession and to his students.

• Lord, we are thankful for the gifts of Professor Mahmoud Sirdah and for his achievements despite the constraints of living under blockade conditions in the Gaza enclave. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayers.

The President of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, (PCBS), Dr Ola Awad revealed on the 7th of March that women are responsible for running 11% of all Palestinian households. However, their participation in decision making positions is still very limited compared to that of Palestinian men.

• Lord, we give thanks for the commitment and endurance of so many Palestinian women who have worked hard to keep their families and wider communities safe and strong. We pray that more women will be included in decision making on different levels. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On the 5th of March, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, reported that 35 Palestinian owned structures were demolished or seized in the previous two weeks. Citing the lack of building permits, the Israeli authorities went ahead with the demolitions which displaced 98 people, among them 53 children.

• Lord of compassion and mercy, we pray for an end to the Israeli demolitions which cause untold suffering and homelessness to so many Palestinian families. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

During Pope Francis’ recent visit to Iraq, he visited the ruined churches of Mosul, in an area formerly held by Islamic State militants. He celebrated Mass on Sunday, the 7th of March at a stadium in Irbil, saying that Iraq would remain in his heart.

• Lord, we bring the Iraqi people in general, and Iraqi Christians in particular, before you and thank you that Christians have had a presence in this country since the 1st century AD. So many Christians have been forced to leave the country to escape violence. We pray for those who remain, that they will be safe and granted equal rights with other Iraqi citizens. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Tuesday, the 9th of March, two boys were gunned down in the town of Jaljulia. They were sitting outside, just near the police station, when the attack occurred. The shooting killed 14-year-old Muhammad Ades and seriously injured 12-year-old Mustafa Hamed. Once again voices have been raised in protest over the ongoing violence in the Arab Israeli community. Muhammad is the twenty third Arab Israeli to die in violent circumstances this year.

• Lord, we pray for the family of Muhammad as they grieve his loss. We also pray for Hamed’s recovery from his gunshot wounds. We pray that the Israeli police will thoroughly investigate this violent crime. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Wednesday, the 10th of March, B’tselem activists filmed armed Israeli soldiers arresting five young Palestinian boys aged 8-12 years. They had been picking a seasonal wild plant, Akoub (common in Palestinian cooking), in the South Hebron Hills to sell to a local shopkeeper as their fathers had recently lost their jobs. Settlers from the nearby Havat Maon outpost started to harass them and then soldiers picked them up and forced them into a military jeep to be taken for questioning.

• Lord, we pray for an end to the attacks on Palestinian children by settlers and soldiers in the occupied Palestinian Territories. We pray that the international community will speak out over the arrest and detention of hundreds of Palestinian minors by Israel every year. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayers.

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Thursday 11^th March 2021

This week’s Kumi Now online gathering will consider how Palestinian women are taking up new opportunities to participate in nonviolent resistance to the occupation. The session will take place on Tuesday, the 9th of March, at 6pm Jerusalem Time.  https://zoom.us/j/94679502800

Week 10: Women in Peacebuilding Online Gathering

• Lord, we thank you for the courage of the Palestinian women working for justice and peace in their land and for a brighter future for their children. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

The World Health Organisation reported on Thursday, the 25th of February, that three residents of Gaza were among those denied medical permits to cross the Beit Hanoun/ Erez Crossing to travel for urgent hospital treatment. In January a 16-year-old child had requested a permit to receive treatment for a blood disorder and two male cancer patients had also been refused permission to attend hospital.

• Lord, we pray that the Israeli authorities will show mercy and grant permits to those in need of critical treatment in hospitals outside the Gaza enclave. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Monday, the 1st of March, Israeli soldiers seized a tractor belonging to Palestinian farmers in the village of Birin, south of Hebron. The villagers were attempting to cultivate and reclaim their land when the seizure took place. Previously land belonging to the residents of Birin had been annexed by Israelis from the nearby Bani Hefer settlement.

• Lord, we pray for all Palestinian farmers who are denied the right to cultivate and reclaim their land. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

On Sunday, the 28th of February, Mohammad Abu al-Hummos, a seventeen-year-old Palestinian boy from the al-Issawiya neighbourhood was attacked by Israeli settlers in the French Hill area of occupied East Jerusalem. The settlers had thrown stones at him and he sustained a serious facial injury.

• We pray, Lord, that Mohammad will receive the medical care he needs to treat his injuries. We pray too that this violent incident will be thoroughly investigated and that his assailants will face prosecution. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

For the fourth time this month the Romanian Orthodox Church in west Jerusalem has been vandalised by extremist Orthodox Jews. The local priest managed to extinguish the fire before it took hold.

• Merciful and faithful Lord Jesus, we ask for your grace and help at this time of violence and intolerance in the city of Jerusalem. We pray for a spirit of mutual respect among the different faith communities in the city. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Jerusalem’s Arab Studies Society has warned that the Israeli authorities are planning to annex more Palestinian land in and around Jerusalem. The site of Palestine’s old airport, formerly known as Qalandia Airport, which was built in 1920 during the British Mandate, is to be used to expand the existing illegal settlements.

• Lord, we pray for an end to the rapid and ongoing annexation of Palestinian land by the Israeli authorities and all attempts to displace Palestinians from their land. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Israel has vaccinated more than one third of its population, but it has not included the population of the West Bank and Gaza in its programme. The Palestinian population of 5.2 million people in the occupied territories has so far received 34,700 vaccine doses. They have received small donations from Israel, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and the COVAX scheme. After facing claims of partiality, the Palestinian Authority has admitted that some of the donated vaccines, which were meant for medical workers, have been diverted to treat Palestinian Authority ministers and VIPs.

• Lord, we pray that more inoculations would be made available for people living in the occupied Palestinian Territories and that the vaccine would be distributed in a fair and transparent way. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced the opening of an investigation into possible war crimes committed in the Palestinian Territories since June 2014. The ICC ruled on the 5th of February that it had jurisdiction to investigate serious crimes in Palestine.

• Lord, we pray that the investigations in The Hague will give victims of crimes access to justice and put an end to the serious violations of international law in the occupied territories. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Thursday, March 8th, is International Women’s Day, where we celebrate the accomplishments of women everywhere, and also recognize the need to continue pushing for gender equality worldwide. We remember specifically on this day the women of Palestine, who often bear the brunt of the violence of the Israeli Occupation. It is the women who must remain strong when their husbands and children are arrested, the women who are often left to rebuild their houses after the military demolishes them, and the women who struggle to hold the community together in the wake of continued oppression.

• Dear God, we thank you for women everywhere, and pray for their continued perseverance and courage. Lay your hand upon them and guide them in their constant struggle towards peace and justice, for themselves, their families, and their countries. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Ireland and the United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Sabeel Wave of Prayer
4.3.21

The Kumi Now online gathering on Tuesday, the 2nd of March at 6pm Jerusalem Time will consider the topic of how Palestinians are restricted in their movements by the Israeli occupation of their land. zoom.us/j/94679502800

https://kuminow.com/week-9-restrictions-on-movement-online-gathering/

• Lord, we pray for all those Palestinians who are forced to wait each day and, in all weathers, to be granted, or denied, Israeli permission to go to school, or their place of work or to receive medical treatment. We pray for an end to this system of control and restriction. Lord, in your mercy…

The author Raja Shehadeh will be accepting the Storyteller Award at this year’s Rebuilding Hope virtual benefit. He also recently won the 2020 Moore Prize for writing on human rights. His book is entitled ‘Going Home: A walk through fifty years of occupation’,(Profile Books 2019).

• Lord, we give thanks for Raja’s literary gifts and for his commitment to defending human rights in his work and writing. Lord, in your mercy..

In this time of pandemic five university students in Gaza are giving up time each week to volunteer to help young pupils at the Rosary Sisters’ School in their English, French and Maths classes. The students are on a Christian Student Scholarship Programme sponsored by the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

• Lord, we pray for the children of Gaza, especially those who have fallen behind in their studies as a result of Covid-19, school closures, daily electricity cuts and rising poverty levels. We pray for those who step forward to support these young ones. Lord, in your mercy…

Palestinian Christians in the city of Akka in northern Israel form a small minority, living among mostly Muslims and Jews. Over five hundred pupils attend the Franciscan Terra Sancta High School in Akko, with only 133 pupils from Christian families. Ghada Makhoul, the School Director, spoke of her passion to ‘teach children to respect each other as human beings’. Before the school’s move to distance learning due to the pandemic they had been involved in a year-long project with a Jewish school.

• ‘Make us know your ways, O Lord, teach us your paths, (Ps25:4)

We are thankful for the efforts of teachers in the city of Akko to promote respect and understanding among their pupils. We pray that the fruit of this work will help to establish justice and peace in the Holy Land. Lord, in your mercy..

Rajie, ‘Roger’, Cook, a pioneer graphic designer and Middle East activist died peacefully at his home in Pennsylvania on Saturday, the 6th of February. He was the son of Palestinian immigrants and had dedicated his life to the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He served for ten years on the Task Force for the Middle East sponsored by the Presbyterian Church in the US.

• Lord, we give thanks for the life and witness of Rajie and for his deep concern for the sufferings of Palestinians living under occupation. Lord, in your mercy…

The Palestinian Health Minister, Mai al-Kaila stated that the occupied Palestinian Territories were experiencing a spike in new Covid-19 cases. On Thursday, the 25th of February, a total of 1,391 new cases had been reported in just 24 hours. Lockdown measures are being considered once again.

• Lord, we pray that vaccines will be made available to all living in the occupied Palestinian Territories. We pray that politicians will act wisely to stem the sharp rise in the Covid infection rate. Lord, in your mercy..

The highly respected US activist and philosopher, Cornel West, spoke out publicly on Wednesday, the 24th of February, about Harvard’s refusal to grant him a permanent academic post at the university. He believes his critical views on the Israeli occupation of Palestine have cost him the tenure. He stated, ‘It is hard to have a robust, respectful conversation about the Israeli occupation because you are immediately viewed as an anti-Jewish hater.’

• Lord Jesus, you are the light of the world. We do not have to walk in darkness, for when we follow you, we have the light of life. Thank you, Lord for all those who are ready to shine a light on dark places in our world. We pray for those who speak out over injustice and are not prepared to suppress the truth. Lord, in your mercy…

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

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Thursday 25^th February, 2021

The Kumi Now online gathering on Tuesday, the 23rd of February at 6pm Jerusalem Time will focus on Israeli settlements and violence in the occupied Palestinian territories. Kumi Now Online – KUMI NOW

• Lord, we remember all those who are affected by the rapid expansion of settlements and all those whose lives are blighted by violence. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

On Friday, the 12th of January, Bilal Bewatneh from the city of al-Bireh was killed when an Israeli settler rammed his car into him. Bilal had been taking part in a hike in the northern Jordan Valley. Several other members of his Palestinian group were injured in the assault.

• Lord, we pray for the family and friends of Bilal as they mourn his loss. We pray that the other members of the hiking group will recover from their injuries. We pray for an end to the unprovoked settler attacks on Palestinians. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Omar Seyam was forced to start demolishing his own barns in the Silwan area of East Jerusalem on Sunday, the 14th of February. He had been issued with a demolition order by the Israeli municipality and could not afford to pay their exorbitant demolition costs.

• Lord, we pray that the discriminatory practice of issuing building permits to Israelis and not to Palestinians will stop. We pray that the Israeli authorities will cease issuing demolition orders on Palestinian homes and buildings. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

A ten-year-old Palestinian boy was playing near his home in the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp when he picked up a stun grenade which had been discarded by the Israeli army. The device exploded in his hands and caused some injuries. The incident occurred on Monday, the 15th of February, in the cemetery near the camp where frequent clashes occur.

• Lord, we pray for this young Palestinian boy, that doctors will be able to treat his injuries and help him overcome the effects of shock. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Friends of Sabeel France are holding a series of online sessions in French this year. The first event will take place on the 28th of February and Father David Neuhaus SJ will be speaking about Christians in the Holy Land.

• Lord, we are thankful for the opportunities we have to take part in online gatherings especially at this time of pandemic when many of us have to forgo communal worship and meeting together face-to-face. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

On Monday, the 15th of February, a court ordered six Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Jerusalem to leave the homes they have lived in for the past seventy years. Hundreds of other Palestinian families in this area and in the Batan Al-Alawa neighbourhood of the Silwan district of East Jerusalem are facing court proceedings to make way for Israeli settler communities.

• Lord, we pray that the enforced displacement of Palestinian families in districts of East Jerusalem will be halted. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Canadian Friends of Sabeel, (CFOS) commenced a defamation action against B’nai Brith Canada arising out of an April 2018 article published by B’nai Brith, in which B’nai Brith alleged that CFOS had promoted an antisemitic book tour. This defamation action has now been settled. As part of the settlement, B’nai Brith has agreed to delete the article in question as well as all of its related social media posts and publications. CFOS has likewise agreed to delete its Press Release announcing the litigation.

• Lord, we thank you for the work of Canadian Friends of Sabeel and for the solidarity and contributions of the Friends of Sabeel around the world. We praise you and thank you that people from so many different countries seek to join together in prayer and action to establish justice and equality in the Holy Land. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of France, Germany and Monaco. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

• Lord Jesus, in this Lenten season we draw near to you in prayer and open our hearts wide. We ask you to fill us with your love as we look forward with hope to celebrating your resurrection at Easter.

Let us join together in the Christian Aid Prayers of Intercession,

‘We lay before you the hearts, minds and bodies of all those suffering from conflict in Palestine and Israel and from the ongoing occupation. Shower upon all the people of the Holy Land the spirit of justice and reconciliation.’

Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Thursday 18^th February 2021

The Kumi Now Online gathering at 6pm Jerusalem time on Tuesday, the 16th of February, will outline the variety of discriminatory policies Palestinians face inside Israel, West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip by the Israeli authorities. https://kuminow.com/online/

• Lord, we pray for an end to the discriminatory policies imposed by Israel on the Palestinians living under occupation and as citizens living inside Israel. We continue to hope that justice and freedom for all people will be restored to the Holy Land.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Tuesday, the 2nd of February, an arson attack on the Romanian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, was carried out by an Israeli person.

• Lord, we pray that the Israeli authorities will act decisively to curb the rise in extremist attacks on churches and mosques in Israel and the West Bank. We continue to pray for peace and justice in the city of Jerusalem, a city which is sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews alike.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Monday, the 8th of February, a group of Israeli settlers forced their way into the village of Al- Lubban ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus, under the protection of Israeli soldiers. The Palestinian villagers tried to fend them off. During the confrontation one villager, Mohammed, was pushed off a four-meter-high wall. He was rushed to hospital for urgent treatment.

• Lord, we pray for Mohammed’s recovery from the settler assault. We pray for an end to the rise in settler violence against Palestinians and their property.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Monday, the 8th of February The Bedouin families of Khirbet Humsa, east of Tubas, had to watch as their tents and structures were demolished for the third time this year by Israeli troops.

The families have been told to leave the area as it has been declared ‘a closed military zone’. Two days later an international delegation visited the demolished site. The delegation expressed its concern over Israel’s contravention of international law, which forbids the demolition of residential structures in occupied territories.

• Lord, we pray for the families of Khirbet Humsa, among them nearly fifty children, now facing homelessness during the winter and at a time of pandemic.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Wednesday, the 10th of February Azzam Amer, a Palestinian laborer, was killed by an Israeli settler who rammed his car into him at a roundabout near the village of Kefl-Hares, north of Salfit,. The West Bank village lies adjacent to the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel, which is home to more than 20,000 settlers.

• Lord, we pray for the family of Azzam, as they grieve their loss. We pray that the Israeli authorities will investigate this incident and hold to account the person who carried out the assault.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

The British Foreign Secretary has received a letter from over 80 MPs from all political parties requesting that the U.K. government will act to prevent the Israeli government from the forced evictions of Palestinian families living in occupied East Jerusalem. About 200 families in the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan areas of Jerusalem are in danger of being dispossessed, following a legal battle waged against them by Israeli settler associations.

• Lord, we pray that pressure from the U.K. government, as well as other governments around the world, would force the Israeli authorities to stop the forcible transfer of Palestinian families from their homes in occupied East Jerusalem.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

The International Criminal Court, the ICC, in The Hague has ruled that it does have jurisdiction over the occupied Palestinian Territories. The judgement was given on the 9th of February and is a significant move towards ending impunity in the 53-year-old occupation of the West Bank, as well as East Jerusalem and Gaza. It now remains for the current ICC prosecutor or her successor to begin the investigation.

• Lord, ‘send out your light and your truth, let them lead us’, (Ps43:3). We pray that the international community will support the ICC process in pursuing justice and ending Israel’s impunity in the occupied territories of Palestine.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
  Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Thursday 11^th February 2021

The Kumi Now Online gathering will take place on Tuesday, the 9th of February, at 6pm(Jerusalem Time) to consider the difficulties Palestinians face in accessing medical care. Particularly those living in Gaza face long delays and administrative hurdles in trying to obtain permits from the Israeli authorities to attend medical appointments outside the enclave.

•    Lord, we pray that Israel will lift the restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinians, particularly those who need medical treatment living in Gaza. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Thursday, the 28th of January, marked the 10^th day of the hunger strike of two Palestinian brothers, Bassam and Bilal Diab from Kafr Ra’i in the northern part of the West Bank.They were re-arrested at their home on the 19th of January for their opposition to the occupation and incarcerated in Al-Jalama interrogation centre, near Haifa.

•    Lord, we pray for the health of the Diab brothers and that they may soon be released from prison. We pray for the thousands of Palestinians languishing in Israeli jails because they have expressed their opposition to the occupation. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

The Israeli army ordered the temporary eviction of five Bedouin families in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron on Sunday, the 31st of January, to make way for military training exercises in the area. The families were forced to evacuate at short notice and are concerned their land will be unsafe when they are allowed to return.

•    Lord, we pray for an end to the constant harassment and disruption caused by the Israeli military to the lives of the Bedouin people in the Jordan Valley. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Patriarch Michel Sabbah shared his reflections in a film entitled, ‘The People’s Patriarch’ in a livestream on Saturday, the 6th of February. He was the non-Italian for over 500 years to hold the office of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (1987-2008). He was also one of the prominent Palestinian Christian leaders to introduce the Kairos Document in 2009.

•    Lord, we thank you for the life and witness of Michel Sabbah and for his courage in continuing to speak out against the injustices of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Issa Amro is due to appear before an Israeli military judge on Monday, the 8th of February to hear his sentence. He is the founder of Youth Against Settlements and has protested against human rights abuses in a nonviolent way for years. Amnesty International has called on Israel to drop the ‘politically motivated’ case against Issa, calling the charges against him ‘baseless’. 

•    Lord Jesus, our bright morning star, (Rev22:16) guide us through the darkness and light our way when justice is far from us and we walk in the gloom. We pray for Issa and for all Palestinians who protest nonviolently against the Israeli occupation. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

A large-scale demolition of 28 Palestinian homes and structures was carried out by the Israeli army on Monday, the 1st of February, in Hemsa al-Foqa, east of the city of Tubas in the northern Jordan Valley. This demolition has rendered 85 Palestinians homeless, including 45 children.

•    Lord, we pray that the demolition of Palestinian homes by the Israeli authorities will cease. We pray that the international community will intervene to prevent the Israeli government from all attempts to displace Palestinians and oust them from the land. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

On Monday, the 1st of February, Israeli police opened fire in a residential area in Tamra, northern Israel, in an incident involving two masked gunmen. The police killed one suspect and injured another. Several other Palestinians were caught up in the incident. Ahmad Hijazi, a 22-year-old nursing student, was killed and Muhammad Armoush, a 31-year-old doctor, was injured and taken to a hospital in Haifa for treatment. Thousands of Palestinians turned out in four Arab cities in Israel on the following evening to protest the failure of the Israeli police to arrest members of criminal gangs in the Arab-Israeli community and for the lack of gun control.

•    Lord, we pray for the families of those killed and for the  injured victims in the most recent incident in Tamra as they grieve their loss and recover from their wounds. We pray that the cycle of violence in the Arab- Israeli community will be thoroughly investigated and brought under control. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

The deaths of two prominent Palestinians has just been announced. Alia Nusseibeh spent sixty years of her life championing the cause of education for women and set up the Al Nithamia School for Girls in Jerusalem. She was also an outspoken campaigner against Israeli interference in the Palestinian education system in occupied East Jerusalem.Abdul Sattar Qassam, a Palestinian academic and political activist, died of Covid-19 on Monday, the 1st of February at the age of 72 years. He was the Professor of Political Science at Al-Najah University in Nablus.

•    We thank you Lord for the way Alia Nusseibeh and Abdul Qassam devoted their lives to the education of young women and men. We thank you also for their courage in speaking out against the injustices of the Israeli occupation. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

•    We pray for Margaret Karram, from Haifa, as she becomes the first Arab to lead the Catholic Focolare Movement as president. We pray for God support for Margaret in her tasks, especially during these difficult times. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer. 

•    We join the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Andorra, Italy, Malta, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, and the Vatican City. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

 4.2.21

This week’s Kumi Now online meeting on Tuesday, the 2nd of February, at 6pm, (Jerusalem Time) will focus on the discrimination faced by Palestinian citizens of Israel. These citizens make up more than twenty per cent of the population of Israel, but are treated as second class citizens. Israel sees itself first and foremost as a Jewish state and affords fewer economic, educational and social opportunities to the Palestinians living there. The Israeli government has continued to support the restrictive Family Unification Law which deliberately limits the number of Palestinians allowed to hold Israeli citizenship.

• Lord, we pray for an end to the discriminatory policies enforced by the Israeli government on Palestinian citizens. Lord, we turn to the words of Psalm146 in our prayers: ‘Blessed is he whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them,’ (Ps.146:5-6)Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

The United Nations’ Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, (OCHA), has reported a high level of violence committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the two week period from the 5th to the 18th of January 2021. Six farmers were injured in two separate incidents, near Nablus and Ramallah, as they were working on their land.

Settlers vandalised dozens of fruit bearing trees on Palestinian land and attacked Palestinian vehicles by throwing rocks and stones at them from the roadside.

• Lord, we pray for an end to this spiral of indiscriminate violence launched by Israeli settlers on Palestinians without restriction from the Israeli authorities. ‘Blessed is he whose hope is in the Lord,…who keeps faith forever,’(Ps146:6)Lord, in your mercy … hear our prayers.

A six-year-old Palestinian boy named Majd and his three-year-old brother, Jad, were injured on Thursday, the 21st of January, when they were travelling with their parents in their car near Ramallah. A group of masked Israelis flagged the car down on the roadside and started to attack the family, throwing stones at the windows and trying to open the car doors. Their father, Alaa Swafta, acted quickly to drive off at speed. The boys were cut and bruised and traumatised by the attack, but the parents had feared for their lives.

• Lord, we pray for the protection of Palestinians and their children from racist attacks by Israeli settlers.‘Blessed is he whose hope is in the Lord…who executes justice for the oppressed,’(Ps146:7) Lord, in your mercy … hear our prayers.

On Wednesday, the 27th of January, Israeli forces uprooted hundreds of trees in the area of Einun, east of Tubas, in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli Civil Administration claimed that these trees, which had been planted several years ago, were uprooted because they were now deemed to be growing on land designated as a ‘military zone’.

• Lord, we pray for an end to the destruction of thousands of trees on Palestinian land and for the threat to the livelihood of so many Palestinian farmers.‘Blessed is he whose hope is in the Lord…who gives food to the hungry,’  (Ps146:7). Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers                           

Israeli soldiers escorted bulldozers to the mosque in the Bedouin city of Azwadeen, east of Yatta, near Hebron on Wednesday, the 27th of January. The mosque was demolished less than two weeks after demolition notices had been posted there and on a local school. On the same morning soldiers forced their way in to dismantle two shelters used by farmers for their cattle in the Khan al-Ahmar village, east of Jerusalem, without issuing any demolition orders.

• Lord, we pray for an end to the demolition and destruction wrought on the Palestinian people by the Israeli authorities.“The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;” (Ps146:8).Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Fu’ad Joudah was on his way to work in Israel with a group of other Palestinian men on Sunday morning, the 24th of January. As they were about to pass through a gate in the separation wall, Israeli soldiers fired tear gas canisters at them. Fu’ad inhaled the toxic tear gas, suffered a heart attack and then died. He was a young man with no health difficulties. He leaves behind a family of four children, the eldest of whom is ten years old.

• Lord, we pray for the family of Fu’ad as they grieve his loss.‘The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless,’ (Ps.146:9). Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Western Sahara and Tunisia. Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.