English 30/03/2017

Last week, the Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem, published a video that showed Israeli forces in the city of Hebron abusing an eight year old Palestinian child. The video shows the army dragging the boy, barefooted, through a neighborhood in the city in order to identify other children who allegedly threw stones at a nearby illegal Israeli settlement. “The boy was wandering barefoot outside his house in Hebron looking for a toy he had lost, when a group of at least 15 soldiers seized him,” eyewitnesses reported.

Lord, the demons of the occupation continue to cast their powers over young Israeli soldiers and make them lose their humanity. We pray for the traumatized child as he pays the price for inhuman military orders. We pray for the people who work vigorously to put an end to the brutal Israeli military occupation so children can find their toys in peace.

Leader: Lord in your mercy…

People: hear our prayers

A video filmed by an eyewitness showed an Israeli police officer physically assault and injure several Palestinians in Jerusalem last week. The video shows a plainclothes police officer aggressively attacking both verbally and physically, 50 year old Mazen Shweiki, a Palestinian truck driver after accidentally hitting the officer’s car. Over the course of the nearly two-minute long video, the officer proceeds to headbutt, slap, punch, kick, and knee Mazin in the lower abdomen.

Lord, the humiliation and violence of the evil occupation is overwhelming. We pray for the steadfastness of Jerusalem and its people. May your spirit enlighten the Palestinians to transform our anger into hard work to achieve the long awaited peace that you have promised the city of your miraculous resurrection.
Lord in your mercy…

Thursday, March 30th, marks Land Day – a day commemorated by Palestinians for the expropriation of their land inside Israel in 1976. Palestinian citizens of Israel demonstrated against this confiscation of thousands of acres of their land. Six Palestinian citizens of Israel were killed and hundreds were wounded in these confrontations. This day is still remembered, inside Israel and in Palestine, 41 years later, as land grabbing and illegal settlement building continues to erode the borders of a future Palestinian state.

God of all, wrongs done in the past continue to be done in the present, and it becomes hard to believe that things will somehow change in the near future. As we remember Land Day and the events that occurred then, help us to believe that there is a way forward through this. Give those in power the courage to speak out against these injustices, and work towards a peace that is long overdue.

Lord, in your mercy…

This Friday Sabeel will host a community Easter egg hunt in Bethlehem for children living in orphanages. Over 90 kids are expected to participate, and the weather is predicted to be sunny and warm.

God, we thank you for this opportunity to share joy and happiness with children whose lives have not allowed for much of that. Be present with those who come out on Friday, and let it be a moment for them to forget the current political struggles, and instead rejoice in the good news Easter brings.

Lord, in your mercy…

We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries: Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. Lord in your mercy…