The UN Security Council has called for an
investigation into the death of Palestinian Minister Ziad Abu Ein, who died last
week shortly after an Israeli border policeman shoved and grabbed him by the
throat. The Minister was leading a group of Palestinians to plant olive trees
near the village of Turnusayya in the West Bank in peaceful protest of the nearby
illegal Jewish settlement of Adei Ad. God of justice, we pray for an end to Israeli’s
use of violent measures at peaceful demonstrations where too often Palestinians
are injured or killed. Lord in your mercy…
Last week the Israeli human rights organization,
Zochrot (Hebrew for “remembering”), held the first ever “public truth
commission” in Beersheba in the Negev featuring the testimonies of Israeli
soldiers and Palestinian Bedouins who lived through the 1948 Nakba when
700,000 Palestinians fled their homes or were expelled by Jewish forces. We pray that the history of this catastrophe will
be brought to light for all to see, and that a permanent political solution
based on international law will open doors to reconciliation. Lord in your
mercy…
Since the wave of violence this summer, around
100 Palestinian bus drivers of an Israeli bus company in Jerusalem have quit
their jobs due to fear of attacks from Jewish extremists. Palestinian taxi
drivers in Jerusalem have also been attacked and boycotted. Lord, we pray that
Palestinians facing the city’s tensions every day are able to maintain their
livelihoods during these difficult financial times without the additional worry
of their safety. Lord in your mercy…
Lord, we pray that our upcoming annual
Ecumenical Christmas Dinner will be a joyous time for the community and we ask
for your blessing upon our Nazareth programs this week, including a youth
Christmas celebration. We also lift our
gratitude for our most recent issue of our Cornerstone publication, “Health, Occupied,” about the critical
public health issues facing Palestinians under occupation and siege. Lord in your mercy…
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