English June 21 -2018

Sabeel Wave of Prayers
June 21st, 2018

The “Great March of Return” continues in Gaza.  Tens of thousands of Palestinians attended morning prayers for Eid-el-Fitr, the celebration which marks the end of the month-long Ramadan fast.

·         Lord we continue to pray for the Palestinian demonstrators and their commitment to non-violence. We pray that the Israeli government would abide by international law and would allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland. Lord in you mercy…Hear our prayer

Last week Human Rights Watch (HRW) objected to the Israeli forces ‘repeated use of lethal forces’ in the Gaza Strip’ against Palestinian demonstrators who ‘posed no imminent threat to life’ and stated that these actions ‘may amount to war crimes’. The Middle East director at HRW, Sarah Leah Whitson, went on to say that Israel should not be allowed to ‘conduct investigations which mainly whitewash the conduct of its troops’. She also stated that the US should not be allowed to block international accountability with its Security Council veto.

·         Lord, we cry to you and ask that the eyes of the powerful may be opened to the pain and suffering of the Palestinians in this troubled land. Lord in your mercy …

It gives us hope that the UN General Assembly approved a Palestinian-backed resolution blaming Israel for violence in Gaza and deploring its ‘excessive use of force’. Since March 30, more than 120 Palestinians have been killed and over 3,800 wounded by Israeli army fire along the Israel-Gaza border.

·         Lord we are thankful that the U.N. representatives have spoken out for the protection of Palestinian civilians and are investigating human rights violations. Lord in your mercy ………..

On Wednesday night a peaceful demonstration was held in Ramallah to call on the Palestinian Authority to lift the sanctions it has imposed on Gaza. These sanctions are further exacerbating the suffering caused by the Israeli siege of Gaza. The Palestinian Authority sent in the riot police to disperse the protest. They fired tear gas and arrested a number of protestors.

·         Lord, we pray for the Palestinian Authority that it would exercise its authority in a just and righteous way. May those who call out for justice for the oppressed remain steadfast.  Lord in your mercy……

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet with U.S. President Donald Trump's adviser, Jared Kushner, who is expected in the region this week. President Trump is bullying an already oppressed people into an agreement that deprives them of their basic rights.

  Lord, be with us in the time ahead that we remain steadfast with regards to our Palestinian rights.  Make us strong to stand firm for Justice for all that are oppressed in this land. Lord in your mercy ………..

 On Tuesday June 12 the Israeli forces ordered a Palestinian farmer, Ahmad Assi Damra, in the Jordan Valley to evacuate his land. They plan to destroy his six acres of palm trees. A similar order was reportedly made to another Palestinian farmer, Suleiman al-Zayed, who had planted his smaller plot in the village of Nuwei’meh, north of Jericho, with olive trees.

·         Lord, we continue to pray for the Palestinian farmers as they witness the Israeli forces  uproot their trees and deprive them of their only source of income. We long for the  time when the words of your prophet Micah are fulfilled, “Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid…” Micah 4:4. Lord in your mercy…

More than 700 Palestinians in the neighborhood of Silwan, in occupied East Jerusalem are awaiting a decision from Israel’s High Court, which could determine their right to live in their own homes. They are challenging a ruling that transferred ownership of the land on which their homes stand, to a Jewish trust more than a decade ago.

·         Lord, we pray that the Israel government will abandon its strategy of forcing the Palestinians out of their homes. Lord in your mercy…

Marah Natshe  is the first female circus trainer in Palestine and the leading female performer in "Sarab" - or mirage, a Palestinian Circus School show. It is an unusual circus show which features juggling and acrobatics to highlight the plight of refugees from the Middle East, including Palestinians.

·         Lord we thank you for Marah and for the way she is using her creative gifts to highlight injustice. May your innovative spirit bless Marah’s leadership and all who are involved in this project. Lord in your mercy…….

·         We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Malawi and Zambia. Lord in your mercy…