English 12-4-2018

Sabeel Wave of Prayer
April 12th, 2018

Last Friday in Gaza, tens of thousands of protesters took part in the second mass protest of the ‘Great March of Return’. This protest calls for the right of Palestinian refugees to reclaim the land they were driven out of by Israel during the 1948 war, known as the Nakba. At the rally on Friday seven Palestinians were killed and a thousand were injured by the Israeli army.
B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, launched a campaign urging soldiers to refuse to carry out orders to shoot Palestinian Gaza protesters. 

  

·         Lord, we pray that the Palestinians in Gaza may continue to express their protest in a non-violent way. Our on-going prayer is for all Palestinian refugees to be restored to their homelands. We remember the Palestinian families as they grieve for those who have been killed and care for those who have been injured. We give thanks for the people of conscience who are prompted to cry out for justice and restitution in the face of the powerful. Lord in your mercy…Hear our prayers 

  

Ms. Fatou Bensouda, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), said in a statement reacting to Israel's recent killing of Palestinian protesters at the Gaza border ,“Violence against civilians, such as Israel's use of lethal force against protesters in Gaza, could constitute a war crime.” 

  

·         Lord, we give thanks for all people of courage who take a stand when they see injustice perpetrated. We pray that the international community will thoroughly investigate the crimes against the Palestinians and hold to account those responsible for the crimes. Lord in your mercy… 

  

Israeli forces killed Yaser Murtaja, a Palestinian journalist covering the Gaza rally after being shot during last Friday's protest, bringing the Palestinian death toll to thirty one since March 30. 

  

·         Lord, your resurrection reminds us that in the end the truth will come out and justice will prevail. We pray for journalists committed to revealing the sober truth about the conditions suffered by the oppressed. We remember the family of Yaser as they mourn their loved one. Lord in your mercy 

 The Israeli authorities have recently deported a Palestinian mother, who is married and was living with her Jerusalemite Palestinian husband and children for the past sixteen years. Ibtisam Obeid, was  repeatedly denied her applications for residency in the occupied city of Jerusalem by the Israeli authorities. Ibtisam is the latest victim of Israel’s discriminatory policies against thousands of Palestinians and their spouses in occupied Jerusalem. These policies divide families by denying them residency and family unification documents. 

  

·         Lord, grant our people faith in your justice as the persecution continues in Jerusalem. We pray for the Obeid family which has been torn apart by the Israeli policies. We pray for an end to the Israeli military occupation and their restrictions on who the Palestinians marry and where they live. Lord in your mercy… 

The Palestinian Authority has gone back on last years’ decision to consider Easter Day as a Palestinian national holiday. The main impact of this decision is that Easter Day will now be considered a normal working day for all Palestinians, except those who are Christians, and they are exempt from work without penalty. Christmas Day is still recognized as a holiday for all Palestinians and is celebrated in both Christianity and Islam as well as among the seculars. 

  

·         Lord, we continue to pray for an inclusive Palestinian society that respects all its members. Dear God, grant our people the power and wisdom to clearly express their disappointment with the Palestinian decision makers. We gratefully acknowledge that some of our Palestinian Muslim brothers and sisters openly disagreed with this decision. Lord in your mercy… 

On April 9th, Palestinians remember the Deir Yassin Massacre of 1948, when at least 107 Palestinians were killed in cold blood, including women and children. Later this month the Holocaust, the Armenian and Assyrian Genocides will be commemorated.

·         Lord, we pray desperately that these horrors will never be repeated. God, comfort all the survivors of these terrible events and lead us all out of cycles of violence into the way of peace and neighbourly love.
Lord, in your mercy...

·         We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of  Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania. Lord in your mercy