English 25/8/2016

1.2 million Palestinian students and 65 thousand teachers return to school after a long summer holiday this week. It is also worth mentioning that a Palestinian businessman also donated a generous amount to build a school in the North of the West Bank. 

·         Palestinian children in the West Bank and Jerusalem are returning to school this week. Lord, give them safe passage as some cross checkpoints or travel near settlements or walk along busy roads. Loving God, provide Gaza with safe school structures and the capacity it desperately needs so that the children there too can return to school and enjoy their childhood.  Lord in your mercy…

In Nablus city, the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) shot and killed two gunmen, suspected of criminal doings and the killing of two PASF officers last week in a gun fight.  Another Palestinian prisoner, accused of criminal activities, was murdered shortly after his arrest while in the custody of the Palestinian police. The city of Nablus suffers from a rise in crime and violence in comparison to other Palestinian towns.    

·         Lord, our hearts ache as we receive the news of our beloved city Nablus.  We ask you God to watch over the city and its inhabitants. Protect Lord the law-enforcement officers from harm as they perform their duty to stop crime and violence. We also pray for the awakening of people who fall into the temptation of crime and revenge. As you have commanded your disciple Peter "Sheathe your sword” John 18:11, we echo your message to see the sword no more in the hands of our community. Lord in your mercy…   

Israel launched up to 50 strikes on Gaza after a rocket attack on the Israeli town Sderot. Several Palestinians were injured ending a pattern of limited retaliation during relatively quiet periods.

·         God of justice and mercy, we continue to pray fervently that the fragile Gaza-Israel cease-fire will hold and the bloodshed will be prevented.  We value all human life and hold it dear. We worry for the wounded, the displaced and the traumatized.  Lord in your mercy…

700 British artists pledged to boycott Israel last Saturday in reaction to what they termed “the Palestinian catastrophe”. The initiative is known as Artists for Palestine. A full list of the cultural figures who signed on to the boycott is available here.

·         Lord, we are grateful for all who stand in solidarity with Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation. We bless all nonviolent actions that challenge unjust systems and structures. Lord of Justice and mercy open the hearts and minds of all the peoples of Palestine and Israel to desire a life of freedom and safety. Lord in your mercy…   

·         We pray alongside the World Council of Churches for the countries of Oceania* Lord, in your mercy…
*American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia (Maohi Nui), Kanaky, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.