English July 12-2018

Sabeel Wave of Prayer
July, 12th 2018

On the 4th of July Mahmoud al-Gharableh, a 16-year-old Palestinian boy, died of his wounds after being shot by Israeli snipers last month. Thousands of Palestinians continue to take part in the ‘Great March of Return’ calling for their right of return to their homeland and for lifting the oppressive Israeli siege.

·         Lord, we pray for the family of Mahmoud as they mourn their loss. We continue to pray for the safety and steadfastness of the protestors to keep their commitment to non-violence to achieve their demands. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer

Last week the Israeli Supreme Court granted a temporary injunction to halt the demolition of the Palestinian Bedouin village of Khan al-Hmar, east of Jerusalem. This demolition had been planned to make way for the further expansion of the illegal Male Admit Israeli settlement. Israel faced an international outcry as their forces gathered to start demolishing the village and to forcibly remove its 181 residents, many of whom are children.

·         Lord, we hold the community of Khan Al Hmar in our prayers as they resist the orders of the Israeli army to displace them. We give thanks for all the Palestinians, Israelis and international advocates who are prepared to make a stand for justice for this community. Lord, in your mercy…

Benjamin Ladraa is a 25-year-old Swedish activist who is on a 3000 mile walk from Gothenburg, Sweden to Jerusalem to raise awareness about human rights violations in the occupied territories. Over the past eleven months he has walked through fifteen different countries. The Israeli authorities prevented Ladraa from entering Palestine when he arrived at the Allenby Bridge, on the Jordanian-Palestinian border.

·         Lord, we give thanks for Benjamin Ladraa and for all the people of conscience who are committed to justice and peace and are determined to speak out about the plight of the Palestinians living under occupation. Lord, in your mercy…

For the past two months the Israeli settlement of ‘Amihai’ continues to discharge its sewage water into the fields worked by Palestinian farmers from the village of Turmus Ayya, north-west of Ramallah. The settlers have dug a pit near the fields to allow the sewage to soak away but the pit overflows and floods the fields. The farmers fear that the sewage poses a threat to their health and will undermine the local economy.

·         Lord,  when we are provoked by the harmful attacks on us by our neighbors, help us to pray for ‘The wisdom that comes from above’. Remind us of your promise that ‘a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace’ (James 3:17-18).  Lord, in your mercy…

The 60th Ramallah Convention took place between the 4th -9th of July 2018. Over one thousand members of the Ramallah community living in the Diaspora visited the city of their forebears to renew their ties with the land and to show solidarity with the Palestinian people.

·         Lord, we give thanks for the success of the Ramallah Convention. We are grateful for the opportunity for families to gather together and to see relationships strengthened. We pray that the Palestinian community in the Diaspora will continue to act as ambassadors for justice. Lord, in your mercy…

Sabeel Nazareth has organized an educational trip for 45 members of the community to visit four Palestinian villages which were depopulated in 1948.  Also last week, Sabeel Nazareth launched the book ‘Nakba and Survival’ by Adel Mana.

·         Lord, we continue to pray for the staff and volunteers of Sabeel. We give thanks for those who are willing to stand up and call for justice, even under the threat of reprisals. Lord, in your mercy…

·         We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Lord, in your mercy…