English 19-4-2018

Sabeel Wave of Prayer
April 19th, 2018

Since the protests of the ‘Great March of Return’ began on the 30th of March, thirty six Palestinians have been killed and over two thousand have been injured in Gaza  by the Israeli occupation forces.

·         Lord, we give thanks for the Palestinian people. We are grieved by those who lose their lives in their challenge against oppression.  We pray for those  who trust that ‘ the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings’. (Malachi 4:2) Lord in your mercy…Hear Our prayers

Last Saturday, four Palestinians were killed and others were injured after an Israeli artillery attack targeted an auto rickshaw in the city of Rafah, in the southern area of the Gaza Strip. Haaretz, the Israeli news website, reported that the Israeli army is: ‘investigating the possibility that the shooting incident was a work accident.’ This  further incident now brings the death toll in Gaza to thirty six people, since the  protests began on the 30th of March.

·         Lord, the Israeli army continues to target the Palestinian people. We pray for an end to the Israeli occupation and to a full restoration of the rights of the Palestinians. Lord in your mercy…

Late last Monday night, the Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian primary school in the district of Hebron in the southern region of the  Occupied West Bank .The demolition left forty two children without a place to learn. The school was opened on the 26th of March, together with six other schools in the area which were built to provide an education for children in vulnerable communities. In spite of the demolition, the school children still came to school the following day and their teachers taught their classes on the floor of the remaining structure, in the rain.

·         Lord, we pray for our students and schools especially when they are targeted by the Israeli occupying forces. Dear God, please strengthen us and help us towards fulfilling the right of every child to receive an education. Lord in your mercy…

Friends of Sabeel North America are holding a witness visit from the 13th to the 22nd of April 2018 in Palestine and Israel focusing on: Non-violent Resistance and Palestinian Liberation Theology. Sabeel Witness Visits provide participants with the unique opportunity to see for themselves how Palestinians are constrained to live under Israeli occupation.

·         Lord, we pray for an enriching and fruitful visit that will enable the participants to experience first-hand the situation on the ground.  We pray that they will return home with a rekindled desire to restore peace and justice to Palestine.  Lord in your mercy...

On Saturday,  three government sites in our neighbouring country of Syria were bombed by the United States of America, Britain and France. According to the three governments, the move is in response to a suspected chemical attack on the town of Douma last week which killed dozens of Syrians. Russia has condemned the U.S.-led strike against Syria, warning of unspecified ‘consequences’. These announcements  have alarmed those living in the area and aggravated fears that the conflict could escalate.

·         Lord, we pray for the people of Syria who continue to fall victim to unimaginable violence. We confess that we may not have done all in our power to promote peace in Syria. We remember the families grieving for the people who have been killed or  injured and the ones who have become refugees as a result of the conflict. Lord in your mercy…  

Jarah al-Hawamdeh is a Palestinian refugee living in Jordan. He lost one of his legs as a result of cancer.  He is determined to reach the summit of Mount Everest  to raise funds for his destitute school. Al-Jufe School is located in Jordan and  is run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees .UNRWA  is currently facing severe budget shortfalls after the Trump administration announced a large cut in U.S. payments earlier this year.  Jarah has already begun the mountain ascent walking on crutches.

·         Lord, we give thanks for the dauntless spirit of the Palestinian people. We pray for the safety of Jarah during his journey. We ask that every step that Jarah takes on the mountain  will help to open the eyes of the international community  to the plight of Palestinian refugees. Lord in your mercy…

·         We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Belarus, Moldova, Russia and  the Ukraine. Lord in your mercy…