It has been half a year since Israel’s
bombardment of the Gaza Strip and the siege of 1.5 million people continues. We
pray that construction supplies, medicine, fuel, and other goods necessary for
life will be allowed to flow into Gaza.
While attempting to deprive Gazans of their dignity, Israel has lost its own.
Five years ago this month, the
International Court of Justice released its Advisory Opinion on the “Legal
Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories”. This
opinion detailed the court’s findings that the Wall violated Israel’s obligations under international law,
that the Wall should be removed, and that Israel ought to lift its travel
restrictions on Palestinians. Today, construction of the Wall continues and Israel’s
restrictions on Palestinians have only intensified. We pray that Israel will
stop treating international law with such disdain.
Because of Israel’s conduct
during January’s attack of Gaza, the United Kingdom
has revoked five export licenses for military equipment intended for the
Israeli navy. Compared to the entirety of Israel’s arms agreements, these
five licenses are miniscule, but they do represent the establishment of an
important precedent. We praise God for this small but meaningful step toward
international accountability for Israel’s war crimes.
On Friday, Sabeel will bring people
from Nazareth and Jerusalem
to see the challenges facing Palestinian citizens of Israel
who live in Akko and Shefa-‘Amr. In these (and
other) Arab-majority cities within Israel,
the state of Israel
practices systematic discrimination through land dispossession and unequal
distribution of resources. We pray that the frequently overlooked population of
Palestinian citizens of Israel
will soon experience justice that “rolls on like a mighty river.”
This week we
join with the World Council of Churches in praying for:
Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Nicaragua, and Panama
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