May 4^th 2023

This week’s Kumi Now considered the threats of censorship and violence suffered by Palestinian journalists, as World Press Freedom Day is remembered on Monday, the 3rd of May. Next week’s Kumi Now online gathering will focus on the US support for Israel. The vast amount of  US military support  for Israel is used to harm Palestinians living in the Holy Land.

• Lord, we pray that leaders around the world will reconsider their arms’ sales and the havoc and oppression caused by the use of this weaponry.
  Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Israeli occupation authorities have started plans to confiscate 70 Palestinian homes in the Old City of Hebron. Director of the Hebron Construction Committee Imad Hamdan said the Israeli occupation plans to hand over the Palestinian homes to Israeli settlers.

• Lord, we pray for our Palestinian people as they continue to go through their ongoing Nakba. We pray that the use of religion and scripture by extremists to justify evil actions will end. May all people who follow claim to follow you surrender to your true will of justice and peace. We pray for the families facing the threat of eviction, the community of Hebron and all people of conscience that they use creative nonviolent action to defend the rights of the Palestinians.
  Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

On April 28, 2023  Mustafa Amer Sabbah, a sixteen-year-old Palestinian teenager was shot and killed by the Israeli army’s live fire during confrontations that erupted in the village of Tuqu, West Bank district of Bethlehem.

The following day in  the same village of Tuqu, a number of Palestinian students suffered from suffocation from teargas inhalation when Israeli occupation soldiers attacked a school with teargas in the village.

• Lord, We remember the family and friends of Mustafa as they grieve for their loss. We hold the Palestinian people in our prayers, especially our young people, as they continue to live under military occupation. May your spirit Lord guide us to expose all who are complicit and profiting from our suffering and dispossession.
  Lord in your mercy…hear our prayers

On Saturday, April 29^th, Israel settlers assaulted two Palestinian siblings and stole their car near Ramallah, Westbank.

The settlers attacked Bassem and Wael Abu Harzan while plowing their land. The brothers suffered cuts and bruises before the settlers stole their car and left the area. The attack is part of numerous similar violations targeting the Palestinians, their homes, lands, and holy sites in several parts of the occupied West Bank.

• Lord, we pray for Bassem and Wael’s speedy recovery. We pray that the persons who carried the violent attack and abuse will be held accountable and the car is returned to its owners. We pray that such actions are not tolerated nor justified at all by the Israeli community. 
  Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Visually impaired Palestinian detainee Izz al-Din Amarneh has been on hunger strike for eight days in a row in protest of his detention without charge or trial by the Israeli occupation authorities. Amarneh, 52, a blind man from the town of Ya’bad in the northern West Bank province of Jenin, was arrested by the Israeli occupation authorities in February 2022, and has been held in administrative detention ever since. Amarneh has five sons and daughters. His two male sons, Ahmad and Mujahed, are also currently imprisoned by the Israeli occupation authorities.

• Lord, we give thanks to all who speak truth to power and refuse to be silent. We pray that Israel will abandon its deceptive ways to control Palestinians in order to maintain its military occupation. We are thankful for the witness of the Amarneh family who continue to expose the evil of the Israeli military occupation even when they are behind Israeli prison bars.
  Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

A pro-Palestine grassroots movement based in the UK, has set up a protest camp outside Elbit UAV Tactical Systems in preparation for the group’s siege on the Israeli arms factory. Activists have confirmed they plan to hold their positions until Elbit closes their weapons factory. From May 1, those in the camp are due to be joined by hundreds for the siege and to mobilize against Elbit’s business-of-bloodshed.

• Lord, we continue to pray for all the people who organize and engage nonviolence to bring justice to the people on the margins. May the witness of the different activists continue to inspire people to commit to nonviolence.
  Lord in your mercy…hear our prayers.

• We join the World Council of Churches this week and pray for: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.  
  Lord in your mercy…hear our prayers.

27^th of April, 2023

This week’s Kumi Now online gathering focused on the Nation-State Law which was passed in the Knesset on the 1st of May, 2018.

Next week’s Kumi Now looks at the threats of censorship and violence suffered by Palestinian journalists, as World Press Freedom Day is remembered on Monday, the 3rd of May. 

• Lord, we pray for the Palestinian-Arab and other non-Jewish citizens of Israel, who make up a fifth of the population and yet who do not enjoy the same rights as Jewish citizens. 
Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

The West Bank city of Jericho, which last year welcomed record numbers of tourists, was devoid of visitors this year as road closures and military checkpoints made travel all but impossible. Abdulkarim Sidr, the mayor, said that the racist policy of Israeli military authorities prevented many locals and visitors from reaching tourist places. “These closures are without any known reason, and there is no clear explanation,” he said.

• Lord, in our prayers we remember all Palestinian families who were forced to wait for hours at the checkpoints leading to Jericho. We also remember all the business owners in Jericho who incurred financial losses as a result of these unjustifiable military closures. We continue to pray for an end of occupation and a stronger position from the international community to holding Israel accountable for its actions.
  Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

On April 23, 2023 Israeli settlers under army protection assaulted Palestinian herders while grazing their cattle in the area of Ein es-Sakout in the Jordan Valley and forced them to leave. Attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians are commonplace, but attacks on farmers and herders are particularly intensive in the Jordan Valley area. Most of these attacks usually occur in the presence of the Israeli occupation army, which usually does nothing to stop the attacks and rather provides protection for assailants.

• Lord, we pray for the end of the Israeli military occupation that allows settlers to commit their crimes unpunished. We remember the shepherds and their livestock and all who suffer from violence as a result of the military occupation.
  Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

On April 19^th, Sabeel launched its book on antisemitism. The book titled “This Is Where We Stand: A Sabeel Reflection on Antisemitism” was in the making for the past 4 years with many participating in its making. We are thankful for all who participated in the launching especially our guests: Hana Bendcowsky, Rabbi Guy Alaluf and Fr. David Neuhaus. 

• Lord we give thanks for this successful event. We pray that all people will commit to fighting all forms of hate and discrimination regardless of their identities. Lord have your spirit guide Sabeel as we continue to engage in discussions around religious discrimination.
  Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

This week we remember the many killed during the Armenian genocide, and particularly lift up the Palestinian Armenian community as they commemorate the genocide of 1915.

• Lord, may the Armenian community around the world, and especially in Palestine, feel your presence and comfort. As we commemorate this massacre, enable us to recognize injustice wherever it occurs and empower us to act as ambassadors for peace.
  Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

• Lord we join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
  Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

March 20^th , 2023

This week’s Kumi Now will focus on the Nation-State Law which was passed in the Knesset on the 1st of May, 2018.

Next week’s Kumi Now looks at the threats of censorship and violence suffered by Palestinian journalists, as World Press Freedom Day is remembered on Monday, the 3rd of May.

• Lord, we pray for the Palestinian-Arab and other non-Jewish citizens of Israel, who make up a fifth of the population and yet who do not enjoy the same rights as Jewish citizens. 
Lord, in your mercy… hear our prayers.

Again, Palestinian Christians celebrated the resurrection in the city of the Resurrection according to the Eastern Calendar. Candles were lit, church bells rang loudly and choirs chanted Hallelujah while scout groups played music filled with joy. The road blocks and military checkpoints were able to stop many of the faithful from reaching the city of Jerusalem and the Church of the Resurrection.  These restrictions did not succeed to stop the good news that the grave is empty and our that our Lord has overcome evil and death from  spreading out of Jerusalem to the rest of the world.

• Lord we continue to hold in our prayers our Palestinian people who need the mercy of Israeli officials and the Israeli military permits to reach and worship in Jerusalem. We are thankful for all the faithful and brave members of our community  who stubbornly wait for hours with candles in their hands at checkpoints and roadblocks waiting for your light to reach them. May the words” Christ is risen, He is risen indeed” echo unto eternity and in every corner of this world.
  Lord in your mercy….    

For the past 17 years, Israeli authorities occupying the West Bank have prohibited Assem Khater, from a village near Nablus, from making any additions to the home he finished building when he was 21, on private land he inherited with documentation from his family. Khater wants nothing more than to build a fence around his yard, to protect his three children from falling 4 metres (13 feet) into the adjacent valley while playing.

• Lord, we continue to pray for your spirit to protect our people, especially our children, our homes and our lands from the unjust policies of the Israeli occupation forces. Help us Lord to continue to work for justice and peace and open the eyes of our oppressors to the unjust actions they stubbornly continue to perform. Strengthen Lord our determination and resilience and let your spirit comfort us.
  lord in your mercy…

Israel intends to bar Bereaved Palestinian Families from attending a joint Jewish-Arab Memorial Day Ceremony. Israel is ignoring previous Israeli Supreme Court ruling in past years.  

• Lord we give thanks to the courage and work of the bereaved Palestinian and Israeli families who insist to work together to put an end to the Israeli occupation and violence. We give thanks for the thousands, both locally and internationally, who support the organization and help them to share their stories.
  Lord in your mercy…

Last March, the Palestinian Authority PA, refused to renew the registration of a respected Palestinian legal organization: Lawyers for Justice, which has represented Palestinians detained by the PA in the West Bank. In July 2022, Human Rights Watch and Lawyers for Justice submitted parallel reports to the United Nations Committee Against Torture ahead of its review of Palestine.

• Lord we give thanks to all who work to defend human rights around the world regardless of the identity of the victim or the perpetrator. May all the civil society stand in solidarity with Lawyers for Justice and expose all human rights violations in Palestine.
  Lord in your mercy…

• We join the world council of churches in praying for the troubled countries of Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine.
  Lord in your mercy…

13.4.23

This week Kumi Now will focus on the topic of administrative detention as it marks Palestinian Prisoner Day (17th April). The Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem states: ‘Israel routinely uses administrative detention and has, over the years, placed thousands of Palestinians behind bars for periods ranging from several months to years, without charging them, without telling them what they are accused of or without disclosing the alleged evidence to them or to their lawyers.’

• Lord, we pray for an end to the extreme and unjust Israeli policy of keeping  Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in military prisons, without charge or time limit.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Easter is the most important religious festival for Christians around the world.Palestinian Christians are commemorating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus in the Holy Land during this time. The Roman Catholic and Protestant denominations celebrated Easter on the 9th of April, following the Gregorian calendar. Many Eastern churches, including the Greek Orthodox Church, will celebrate Easter on the 16th of April, after the Julian Calendar. At this time Jewish worshippers celebrated Passover and Palestinian Muslims will be continuing to observe their holy month of Ramadan.

• We echo the words of the Rev Sally Azer, a Palestinian Lutheran pastor from Jerusalem in the recent Kairos Alert, ‘We ask you, Lord, to look at every sufferer with mercy and love. On this day, we especially pray for our Palestinian people, Christians and Muslims. We are still searching for stability and peace, for justice and freedom. Grant us, O Lord, to look into the future with hope.’
  Lord, in your mercy..

Israeli police clashed with Palestinians for the second time at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on Wednesday, the 5th of April. These clashes broke out hours after the arrest and removal of 350 Palestinian Muslims by Israeli police. These confrontations at this highly sensitive time during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and on the eve of the Jewish Passover triggered rocket attacks from Lebanon and Gaza. The Israeli military then carried out retaliatory airstrikes in both areas.

• Lord, we pray for calm and restraint from the Israeli authorities and especially that the freedom of worship at all religious sites in Jerusalem would be respected and upheld.
  Lord, in your mercy ..

Palestinians were attacked by illegal Israeli settlers in the Nablus and Bethlehem governates on Friday, the 7th of April. Settlers attacked Palestinian-licensed cars in the Huwwara and the Furush Beit Dajan area, as well as setting fire to greenhouses owned by local Palestinians. Settlers sealed off the southern entrance to al-Khader town near Bethlehem so they could attack Palestinian cars.

• Lord, we cry out to you we hear of more and more settler attacks on Palestinians and their property. These lawless acts of aggression appear to be carried out with impunity. We see violence and oppression in Israel and pray for the restoration of justice and righteousness.
  Lord, in your mercy..

This week more than thirty UN independent experts asked Mr Karim Khan, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, to send out an urgent mission to investigate possible Israeli war crimes in Palestine. They expressed their concern for ‘the pervasive impunity and ever-deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory owing to acts that may amount to widespread and systematic violations of international law.’

• Lord, we pray that the United Nations will hold the Israeli government to account for breaches of international law and help them to establish a human rights based order to enable all residents of the Holy Land to live in justice and peace.
  Lord, in your mercy..

• We join together with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania.
  Lord, in your mercy…

 6^th of April 2023

Christians around the world celebrated Palm Sunday last week. Many Palestinian Christians dress in their traditional clothes and hold palm leaf branches as they attend church services to mark the beginning of Holy Week. 

• Lord Jesus, humble and gentle one, you are our Saviour and King. Be not far from us and guide our feet into the way of peace.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Mr Ken Sparks, one of the leaders of Friends of Sabeel Australia for years, died peacefully in Brisbane on Monday the 3rd of April after a short struggle with cancer. 

• Lord we pray for the family of our friend Ken. We are thankful for his life and his commitment to the cause of justice and peace inside the church and in Palestine. May your spirit comfort us all who mourn the loss of a kind and special person and friend.
Lord in your mercy… hear our prayers

On Thursday, the 30th of March, Palestinians commemorated the First Land Day, which took place in 1976. A general strike and marches had been organised in Arab towns to protest against the forcible seizure of large swathes of Palestinian land by the Israeli authorities. At that time the Israeli army shot six unarmed Arab Israeli protestors, wounded more than a hundred others and arrested many more in the ensuing clashes.

• Merciful Lord, we bring the Palestinian people before you as they continue to endure suffering and oppression under the Israeli aggression. We pray that they will continue to hold onto their hope and vision for freedom from occupation and return to their homeland.
  Lord, in your mercy…

Sabeel will be hosting an Easter Service on the theme of the Resurrection on Tuesday, the 11th of April, at 5pm Palestine Time, (6pm Israeli Time). The service will be celebrated jointly by Rev. Dr. B. De Neice Welch and the Rev. Dr Naim Ateek. Dr De Neice Welch is Pastor of Bidwell Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh. Sabeel Jerusalem hosted a visiting group from Pittsburgh in early January this year.

• Lord, we remember that at the end of all the suffering on the Way of the Cross, we have the hope of resurrection on Easter Day. We pray that the Sabeel Easter Service will sound a note of hopefulness in these dark days in the Holy Land.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Israeli police disrupted a football match between Balata Center and Jabal Mukaber football teams at the Al-Husseini International Stadium in the northern West Bank last Thursday evening. They fired a barrage of tear gas canisters which affected children and adult spectators, as well as players. The fans were forced to flood onto the pitch to avoid the tear gas attack.

• Lord, we pray that those caught up in this assault will recover from the tear gas inhalation without suffering serious ill effects. We pray for an end to these unprovoked attacks on Palestinians by the Israeli army.
  Lord, in your mercy..

During the course of 2022 Palestinians living in East Jerusalem and the West Bank have suffered the demolition, or the seizure, of 953 of their buildings by the Israeli authorities.

Building permits are rarely, if ever granted to Palestinians living in Israeli-controlled areas and their homes then become targets for demolition orders.

• Lord, we pray for Palestinian families, especially the children who have to witness their homes and schools torn down before their eyes.
  Lord, in your mercy..

B’Tselem has reported that a father of four children living in Gaza City has been denied a travel permit by the Israeli authorities, despite his critical state of health. Khaled Al Bahtini  has kidney failure and has been on dialysis for the past sixteen years. He now needs to attend al-Makassed hospital in East Jerusalem to undergo an artery transplant to enable him to continue with further dialysis. Repeated requests for travel permits since December 2022 have been turned down by the Israeli authorities.

• Merciful Lord, we bring Khaled’s suffering and frustration before you as he awaits a travel permit to obtain life-saving treatment. We pray that the Israeli authorities will listen to requests from human rights organisations and grant the permit he so desperately needs.
  Lord, in your mercy…

• 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, Slovenia.
  Lord, in your mercy..

 30^th of March 2023

Next week the Kumi Now community looks at the plight of Palestinian children caught up in the Israeli military system. Under the Israeli occupation many Palestinian children have been left traumatised by night arrests and abuse in Israeli military prisons. When Palestinians remember Children’s Day on the 5th of April their thoughts will be clouded by this grim reality.

• Lord, we pray that international governments and organisations will challenge the Israeli occupation over its abuse of the rights of Palestinian children for more than five decades.
  Lord, in your mercy..

It is with great sorrow that we share with you the sad news of Father Robert Assaly’s passing. He left us, this March 26th Sunday morning. His wife, Nancy, sent a message saying: “Robert has passed and is no longer suffering.  He is resting in peace.” Father Robert leaves behind his wife Nancy and children, Kristy, Ben, Justin, Bishara, Janan and Fedi, as well as his siblings and his mother, Gloria, along with countless friends and colleagues. Robert will be greatly missed at Sabeel and CFOS for his long term of service, his hours of dedicated work, his unfailing commitment and his passion to see justice reign.  He was a true friend to many.  Rest in peace, Father Robert.

• Lord, we give thanks to the life and witness of Fr. Robert Assaly. We pray for the family and loved ones of Fr. Robert as they mourn his loss.  Fr. Robert always asked us to pray for the sick, especially the ones with no access to medical care, and the ones who are facing disease with no family and friends. Lord, comfort us all with your spirit, we are sad and bewildered.  
  Lord in your mercy… hear our prayers 

This week churches in Palestine and around the world celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, exactly nine months before Christmas. At this time we bring to mind Mary’s tender youth when she gave her assent to the momentous call of the Annunciation.

• Lord God, we thank you that you loved the world so much that you sent your son to save us. We thank you for Mary’s humble acceptance of your call of motherhood.
  Lord in your mercy…

An independent United Nations Commission of Inquiry completed a second series of public hearings in Geneva last week. These hearings looked at human rights violations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, with a special focus on attacks on human rights activists, lawyers and journalists. Colleagues and relatives of the former Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh were among those who gave evidence. The findings will be presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2023.

• Lord, we pray that the UN will uncover the human rights violations being carried out by the Israeli occupation against Palestinians. We pray that the international community will act on their findings to challenge the Israeli occupation and give protection to the Palestinian people.
  Lord, in your mercy..

On Monday, the 20th of March, the Armenian Genocide Square was inaugurated in Haifa.
The Mayor of Haifa and the Armenian Ambassador to Israel gathered together with representatives from the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and members of the Armenian community to remember the painful massacre of their forefathers in 1915.

• Lord of all justice and truth, we pray for the Armenian people as they remember the  suffering of the genocide and exile inflicted on their people. May they be linked together in their suffering with other peoples who have endured oppression and may they hold onto the unquenchable hope.
  Lord in your mercy..

Two Jewish extremists broke into the Greek Orthodox Church of the Tomb of the Virgin Mary on Sunday, the 19th of March, while a service was being held by Archbishop Joachim. One of the men was holding an iron bar and they started to smash sacred objects and then attacked one of the priests attending the archbishop. They were stopped by some worshippers who held them until the police came.

• Lord, we pray that all the attacks by Jewish extremists on Christian and Muslim places of worship and sacred sites will be thoroughly investigated and condemned. We pray that the Israeli authorities will work to protect sacred sites and put an end to any further provocation.
  Lord, in your mercy…

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

23^rd of March 2023

Next week Kumi Now will highlight how the blockade has affected Gaza since it was fully  enforced by Israel and Egypt in 2007. The people have been denied access to most of the natural resources needed for their sustenance. It has been called the biggest prison on Earth.

• Compassionate and merciful Lord, we bring the residents of Gaza to you as they try to survive amid poverty, unemployment and frequent military attacks from Israel. We pray for an end to the blockade and the restoration of life and health to this piece of your creation.
  Lord, in your mercy..

• Lord Jesus, we ask you to draw near to a number of our friends from the Sabeel family who are suffering serious illness at this time. We pray for Robert Assaly from Canada, Ken Sparks from Australia and Jean Zaru, a founding member of Sabeel and ask for your comforting and healing hands to hold these dear friends. For those whose sufferings we do not know about, may they also know your power to heal.
  Lord, in your mercy…

The Israeli army carried out an undercover raid in the occupied city of Jenin last week. Israeli soldiers shot and killed four Palestinians, Yousef Shriem ,29, Nidal Khazem, 28, Omar Awadin, 14 and Luay Zghayyar, 37. This raid comes after three Palestinians were shot and killed in Jenin just last week.

• Lord, we pray for the family and friends of Yousef, Nidal, Omar and Luay as they grieve their loss. We pray also for the Palestinians recovering in hospital suffering from serious gunshot wounds. We pray for an end to these deadly Israeli army raids which bring further unrest and terror to occupied Palestinian cities.
  Lord, in your mercy..

During this Lenten season Palestinian Christians are devoting themselves to times of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. While this week Palestinian Muslims will mark the beginning of  Ramadan by fasting from sunrise to sunset, taking part in charitable acts and meeting up with family members.

• Lord, we pray that during this season we will draw aside in worship and prayer. As we bring our prayers for our families and neighbours to you, help us to remember to pray faithfully for our Palestinian brothers and sisters. May we stand with them as they cling to the word of hope, which helps them resist the dispossession and injustice they suffer under occupation.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Last week a number of settlers attacked a Palestinian family living in a tent near the village of Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah. The Israelis from a nearby settlement beat Sadek Farakhneh and his family members and raided his barn, stealing his donkey and thirty sheep. After the settler attack Israeli soldiers raided his tent and assaulted him. He has been offered emergency help from the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission.

• Lord, we are deeply shocked by these pitiless assaults on Palestinian subsistence farmers, like Sadek. We pray that international organisations and governments will challenge the Israeli government for the way they grant impunity to the Israeli assailants.
  Lord, in your mercy…

On Friday, the 10th of March, Israeli soldiers detained a young boy from Hebron on the charge of throwing stones. Abdul Shakeen from the Tal Rumeida neighbourhood was arrested, taken to a military post, beaten, verbally abused and released some hours later.

• Lord Jesus, we pray for the Palestinian children who are arrested, assaulted, abused and imprisoned by the Israeli army. We pray that the Israeli government will be held to account by the international community to respect the human rights of Palestinian children and to abide by international law in how they treat them.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Five hundred Gazan school pupils gathered together in the Khan Younis neighbourhood to fly Japanese-inspired kites to mark seventy years of partnership between Japan and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East. During 2023 the partnership will be celebrated with events based on a shared theme of ‘tsumugu’ (meaning ‘connect, spin, weave’).

• Lord, we give thanks as the Gazan students continue to reach out to the people of Japan, just as they did in the 2011 East Japan Earthquake. We also thank you for the steadfast and generous help for UNRWA, provided by the Japanese people over the past seventy years.
  Lord, in your mercy..

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

6.3.23

Next week Kumi Now will focus on the water scarcity in the West Bank, as we remember World Water Day on Wednesday, the 22nd of March. Palestine is generally rich in water resources, but those water resources are being exploited by Israeli interests while being denied to the Palestinians on the land. 

• Lord, we pray for an end to the Israeli obstruction to the access and use of Palestinian natural resources and especially their water resources.
  Lord in your mercy..

For the past ten weeks large protests have been taking place across Israel against the judicial reforms proposed by the new right-wing Israeli government. The protestors are focused on the government plans to politicise the judiciary. However there are few Israeli voices raised in protest against the escalating violence that is being unleashed by the Israeli authorities and the illegal settlers against the Palestinians. Last week hundreds of Israeli settlers torched Palestinian homes in four occupied villages.

• Compassionate and merciful Lord, we cry out to you as we see Israeli forces and settlers attacking Palestinians in the occupied territories with apparent immunity. We pray for an end to the occupation and the cycle of violence and turmoil.
  Lord, in your mercy..

International runners from more than ninety different countries joined Palestinian runners for the Ninth International Palestinian Marathon held in Bethlehem on Friday, the 10th of March. The Palestinian Olympic Committee sponsored the event to raise greater awareness about the circumstances of the Palestinians. Competitors aiming to run the full marathon have to complete the 11km stretch four times over to avoid having to pass through Israeli checkpoints.

• Lord, we give thanks that runners from so many different countries participated in this year’s Palestinian Marathon. We pray that they will have been impacted as they followed the track along the separation wall, through crowded refugee camps and surrounded by hilltops covered with illegal settler housing units.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Last week the Palestinian Ministry for Education made an appeal to international human rights and humanitarian organisations to defend the rights of Palestinian children to an education. The Jibb al-Deeb School in the Bethlehem area, which serves forty primary school pupils, is once again under threat of destruction. It was demolished and rebuilt in 2017.

• Lord, we bring these young Bethlehemite children and their families before you as they wait to see if their school is going to be demolished. We pray that international organisations will challenge the Israeli government’s plan to raze the school.
  Lord, in your mercy..

A report entitled, ‘Can’t even be a widow’ has just been published by Euro-Med Monitor. It is based on interviews with family members of missing Palestinian migrants and asylum seekers who have attempted to leave the Gaza Strip. Some grieving relatives have been contacted by gangs claiming to have information about the missing persons and demanding large sums of money to release it.

• Lord, the pitiless blockade of Gaza over the past seventeen years has led many Palestinians to risk their lives by trying to escape. We pray for an end to the Israeli blockade which is condemning Palestinians to poverty, unemployment and despair.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Pope Francis welcomed participants from the Palestinian Commission for Inter-religious Dialogue to the Vatican last week. The delegation focused their discussions on the spiritual significance of Jerusalem. The Pope expressed his hope that the city would remain a place of encounter and a symbol of peaceful co-existence for the followers of the three monotheistic faiths.

• Lord Jesus, we remember how you wept over Jerusalem. We echo the prayer of Pope Francis,‘How many men and women, Jews, Christians, and Muslims, have wept and in our day continue to weep for Jerusalem. At times, we too are moved to tears when we think of the Holy City, for she is like a mother whose heart cannot be at peace due to the sufferings of her children.’
  Lord, in your mercy…

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

9^th of March 2023

Next Tuesday Kumi Now will consider how peace building opportunities are opening up to Palestinian and Israeli women in spite of the occupation. We have just celebrated International Women’s Day and we think of the women activists involved in the nonviolent campaign of resistance against the Israeli occupation.

• Lord, we thank you for the courage and commitment of the Palestinian and Israeli women working to bring about peaceful and lasting change to their country now ravaged by violence.
  Lord, in your mercy …

On Wednesday, the1st of March,Israel’s Finance Minister, Smotrich said that the Palestinian village of Huwara near Nablus in the occupied West Bank should be ‘wiped out’ and that the State of Israel should be the one to do so. This remark followed riots by Israeli settlers in the area which left one Palestinian shot dead, many others injured and property destroyed, in response to an earlier attack that killed two Israeli settlers.

• Lord, we pray for the families of those killed or injured recently in Huwara. We pray that calm and order may be restored by the Israeli authorities and that all the perpetrators of the violence may be held to account for their actions.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Two sisters and their brother, aged 3,4 and 8 respectively, were fatally injured last Thursday morning when they were hit by a car in the Shuafat Refugee Camp in East Jerusalem. Paramedics reported that they had been hit by a car as they were walking to school. Doctors were unable to save their lives.

• Merciful Lord, we bring the family and friends of these three young children from Shuafat Camp before you. We pray for support and comfort for them as they mourn their devastating loss.
  Lord, in your mercy..

The Popular Palestinian Conference was forced to issue a press release and abandon their television press conference in Ramallah last week. The Wattan TV offices were shut down by security officers from the Palestinian Authority. The conference was going to broadcast the text of a document signed by one hundred and fifty prominent Palestinians. They are challenging the Palestinian Authority’s decision to withdraw a plan to propose a UN resolution objecting to recent Israeli violations.

• Lord we pray that the Palestinian Authority will respect the right of other Palestinians to express their views without fear of censorship.
  Lord. In your mercy…

Last week Israel’s National Security Minister, Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, the Finance Minister and Minister in charge of civilian affairs in the West Bank announced their decision to seize the bank accounts of 87 freed prisoners living in East Jerusalem. Since then two freed prisoners from Jerusalem, Mohammad Dirbas and Ayoub Afanah have had the funds in their bank accounts confiscated. While  the parents of Bashar al Obaidi, a prisoner from East Jerusalem have undergone punishment by the Israeli authorities. His mother was arrested and interrogated, while his father’s car was seized and confiscated.

• Merciful and compassionate Lord, we cry out to you as we see the Israeli authorities loading heavier and heavier punitive measures on the backs of Palestinians.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Recently the Chelsea Community Hospital School at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital took part in a collaborative art project with school children from Gaza.

Plates decorated by the Palestinian children were put on display at the hospital. However the display was removed after the hospital received a complaint from the UK Lawyers for Israel which stated that the display made Jewish patients feel ‘vulnerable, harassed and victimised’.

• Lord we are saddened that a small art display in a London hospital reflecting the harsh realities of life in Gaza was removed. We pray for the children of Gaza who have only known terror, bombardment, poverty and deprivation for the past fifteen years under Israeli siege.
  Lord, in your mercy…

• 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..

Sabeel Wave of Prayer 2.3.23

Next Tuesday Kumi Now will consider how peace building opportunities are opening up to Palestinian and Israeli women in spite of the occupation. We will be celebrating International Women’s Day on Wednesday, the 8th of March, and thinking of the many women activists involved in the nonviolent campaign of resistance against the Israeli occupation.

• Lord, we thank you for the courage and commitment of the Palestinian and Israeli women working to bring about peaceful and lasting change to their country now ravaged by violence. Lord, in your mercy …

The Israeli government has just granted Cabinet-level authority over illegal settlement policies to Smotrich, the Finance Minister. More than seven thousand settler housing units have  been approved. The E1 plan is also going to be revived, which would effectively bisect the West Bank by allowing settler development in a strategic area of occupied East Jerusalem.

• Merciful Lord, we pray that international governments and organisations will hold the Israeli government to account for its disregard of international law over its policy of rapid settlement expansion in occupied territory.
  Lord in your mercy..

The well-known Dublin-based Bohemian Football Club has just released a new football kit  promoting the Palestinian cause. A club representative, Daniel Lambert stated: 

‘This 2023 shirt is aiming to assist children in Palestine who face unimaginable challenges and human rights’ violations each and everyday’. A percentage of  the profit from the sale of the shirts will go towards sports equipment and help in sports participation for children in the Tulkarm Refugee Camp in the occupied West Bank.

• Lord, we give thanks for this new initiative from the Irish football club to contribute funds to give Palestinian refugees the opportunity to improve their health and skills through participation in sport.
  Lord in your mercy..

Shopkeepers in the Old City of Hebron usually shut their premises at 2pm to avoid attacks from illegal settlers living in the nearby Beit Romano settlement. B’tselem have just issued a full report on the price paid by two Palestinian shopkeepers who tried to keep their shops open until the usual closing time of 5pm. Soldiers ordered them to close their shops on the pretext that Palestinian children were throwing stones at the settlement. They threw stun grenades outside and inside the antique shop, damaging goods. They threatened them with arrest and pointed their guns at them. They have returned with the same threats on several other occasions.

• Lord, we pray for the Palestinian shopkeepers of Hebron trying to earn a livelihood in the face of attacks from Israeli settlers and soldiers. So many have despaired of earning a living under pressure of such relentless harassment and have left. Some have no other option but to remain and face the violence and abuse each day.
  Lord, in your mercy..

The International Jewish Collective for Justice in Palestine is made up of Jewish groups and individuals who live in fifteen different countries. Members of this group have welcomed the Mayor of Barcelona’s decision ‘to cut ties with Israel until everyone in Israel/Palestine fully enjoys their rights, safety and self-determination.’

• Righteous Lord, we give thanks when public figures like Mayor Colau take a stand to affirm universal human rights. We pray that other politicians will call out Israel over its policies of human rights abuses against Palestinians.
  Lord, in your mercy..

Large numbers of soldiers entered the busy city of Nablus early last Wednesday morning in a raid targeting two Palestinian fighters, who allegedly shot an Israeli soldier last October. Residents of Nablus were terrorised as the Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition indiscriminately and used teargas with pepper spray on crowds in the streets. The army used rocket propelled grenades and armed drones to kill the Palestinian fighters, while nine other Palestinians were killed and eighty other bystanders were injured.

• Lord, we pray for an end to these deadly Israeli army raids in the occupied West Bank. Just in the first two months of this year so many Palestinians have been shot dead and seriously wounded. We continue to pray for an end to this bloodshed.
  Lord, in your mercy..

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