Last Monday a young deaf man,Tahrir Mahmoud Wahba,
(18 years old),died of the injuries he sustained during the ‘Great March of
Return’ protest in the besieged Gaza Strip. The protest has continued for five
weeks so far and during that time forty five Palestinians have been killed and
five thousand five hundred have reportedly been injured.
·
Lord, we pray for all the families that have lost loved ones,
especially the family of Tahrir. We also pray for the recovery of all those who
have been injured by the military forces of the State of Israel. We continue to pray for the safety
of those taking part in the non-violent protest. They are demonstrating
for the internationally recognized right of Palestinian refugees to return to
the land which they were forced to leave. Lord in your mercy…
Last week, twelve Palestinian and Israeli teenagers died
in flash floods which hit various cities in Palestine and Israel.
·
Lord, we pray for the families of both communities as they
mourn for their children. Dear God, only your Holy Spirit can give comfort to
the hearts of the parents who have to bury their children. Lord in your mercy…
The Israeli government has scrapped a controversial plan to
deport thirty six thousand African migrants after an Israeli High Court
petition, filed by human rights groups, challenged the feasibility of the
plan.
·
Lord, we give thanks that the refugees will not now be faced
with deportation back to their troubled home-lands. We give thanks for the politicians and human rights organizations
who challenged their government for the sake of the refugees. Lord in your
mercy…
In many countries around the world the first of May is the
day designated as Labour Day. In Palestine
this date is an official holiday to remember and support
their workers. Many Palestinian workers are underpaid and unemployment levels
have risen to an all-time high in 2018.
·
Lord, we remember the Palestinian workers who struggle to
secure their daily bread. We ask that the military checkpoints and the danger
zones may be cleared to enable the Palestinian people to travel freely to and
from their places of work. Lord in your mercy…
Israeli authorities handed notifications on Saturday to
confiscate forty two dunums, (over
10 acres), of Palestinian land in the village of al-Khader, to the
south of Bethlehem in the Occupied West
Bank.
·
Lord, we turn to you as the Israeli military forces continue
to take possession of Palestinian land and confiscate their property. We pray
for an end to the Israeli occupation which deprives them of their property and threatens their basic human
rights. Lord in your mercy…
In May 2014 Nadim Nuwarra, a seventeen year old youth was
taking part in a protest at the Beitunia checkpoint in the Occupied West Bank.
Israeli border police officer Ben Deri was filmed shooting him dead, even
though the lad posed no danger. Ben Deri has been sentenced to nine months in
prison in a plea bargain with the Israeli Jerusalem District Court.
·
Lord, we pray for your justice as the Israeli military courts
continue to provide protection for their military forces and to marginalize the
rights of the Palestinians. We ask that the international community may have
the courage to speak out and to help bring an end to the Israeli occupation and
hold the Israeli army accountable for its crimes. Lord in your mercy…
On April 29th, 2018 the Samaritan community, the smallest religious
sect in the world, celebrated the feast of Passover. Today seven hundred and
fifty people constitute the small community which lives on top of Mount Gerizim,
just a ten minute drive from the Palestinian city of Nablus.
·
Lord,
we pray for the Samaritan community as they celebrate their sacred day. We give
thanks for the mosaic of the Palestinian community and all its members. We wish
the Samaritan community a happy and peaceful holiday. Lord in your mercy…
·
We
join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Afghanistan,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Lord
in your mercy…
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