25/2/10 - English

Last week, Friends of Sabeel-North America hosted a large conference in Seattle. This week, another conference will be held in Honolulu. On March 5, a third Sabeel conference will take place near San Francisco. The conferences feature Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim speakers. We pray that these events will inspire new and powerful action to change American policy toward Israel and Palestine.

This Thursday marks the 16^th anniversary of the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre in Hebron. In 1994, an Israeli settler's killing of 29 people at prayer resulted in riots and curfews and the closure of Shuhada Street—the main artery of the city. In the past week, Israel included the Cave of the Patriarchs (Ibrahimi Mosque) and Rachel's Tomb (in Bethlehem) on a list of Israeli heritage sites. On Thursday, Palestinians will hold a nonviolent action to pressure Israel to end its chokehold on Hebron and to reopen Shuhada Street. We pray for the safety of all people involved in Thursday's action.  

Friday, March 5, is the World Day of Prayer. This year’s prayer was written by the women of Cameroon. They say, "In the Cameroonian context, people praise God even in, and especially during, difficult times in their lives. This is because generally we consider life to be God’s greatest gift to us. As long as one has breath, there is hope. So we sing in the hope that things will be better." May it be so.

Starting March 12, Bethlehem Bible College will host a conference titled “Christ at the Checkpoint: Theology in the Service of Peace and Justice.” The conference is designed to reach people and churches not previously involved in Palestine. We are thankful for all organizations that encourage Christians to explore Christ’s message of justice and peace and to then apply that message to their lives.