Lord,
Israel continues to collectively punish Palestinians living in East Jerusalem:
restricting some Palestinians from praying at Al Aqsa Mosque, detaining dozens
of Palestinian youth, and harassing the Palestinian community in
general. Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called
for calm and restraint from right-wing Israeli lawmakers and Jewish settler
activists, they continue with their provocative visits to Al Aqsa and calls for
extending Israeli sovereignty over the compound. Lord in your mercy…
Last
week young Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan announced
that she is donating her full prize money ($50,000) from the World Children’s
prize to help rebuild UNRWA schools in Gaza that were damaged by Israel’s
recent military offensive. We are humbled by her commitment to raising
awareness about the importance of quality education for children, saying that
“without education, there will never be peace.” May others be moved by her
generosity. Lord in your mercy…
We
give you thanks for the Swedish government’s recognition of the state of
Palestine and for the senate vote in Ireland urging the Irish government to do
the same. Lord, we pray that other countries will also take this step in
investing in peace and support the self-determination of the Palestinian
people. Lord in your mercy…
Lord,
we welcome our new interim director, Rev. William Roberts, and are thankful for
the energy, expertise and service he brings to the Sabeel family. We also
pray for the many programs and events this week: a youth event in Nabi Musa/Mar
Saba, the launch of Sabeel and Al-liqa’ Centers’ book on non-violent
resistance, and a community retreat in the depopulated village of Ein
Karem. Lord in your mercy…
We
pray alongside the World Council of Churches for the countries of Burundi, Democratic
Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. Lord in your mercy…
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