English October 24-2019

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

24^th October 2019

Ninety-seven Palestinian civilians, including 45 children and 2 women, were injured due to Israeli soldiers’ excessive use of force against peaceful protestors at the 79^th Great March of Return, this Friday, 18 October 2019. A young man sustained serious injuries and 35 others were shot with live bullets and shrapnel in addition to other injuries in the upper body due to direct targeting with rubber bullets and tear gas canisters.

·         Lord, we pray for all those who were injured during the demonstration in Gaza. We continue to pray for an end to the blockade of Gaza and for the right of return to their homes for the Palestinian refugees. Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.

The Kumi Now year finished on October 19^th. As work continues on a revision of Kumi Now, the previous Kumi year will began again with a re-launch on Monday, 21^st October.

·         Lord, we thank you for those who have made the commitment to stand for justice, inclusivity, and nonviolence through the Kumi Now initiative. We pray that their commitment will continue as we begin the year again and look forward to the new revised Kumi Now. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

A number of Palestinians and volunteers have been injured in attacks by illegal Israeli settlers throughout the West Bank whilst harvesting olives.  An elderly rabbi from ‘Rabbis for Human Rights’ suffered blows to the head and had his arm broken, while others were also hurt.

·         Lord, we pray for the protection of Palestinian farmers as they harvest their olives. Thank you for the support of Jewish activists and foreigners who know how vital the olive harvest is to the income of many Palestinians. We pray that settlers would respect the rights of others and stop their damage of Palestinian crops. Lord in your mercy...hear our prayer.

Ein Hanya is the site of a natural spring within the municipal borders of Jerusalem and near the West Bank village of Al-Walaja. At the beginning of Sukkot, the site was opened by the Israeli Parks Authority as a site for visitors, however, Palestinians are now unjustly banned from visiting the site although lies within the West Bank.

·         Dear Lord, we see another source of water in the West Bank, sealed off to Palestinians and opened to Israelis. We pray that the Israeli government would be held to account for the regime of segregation it operates in the Holy Land. Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.

Throughout the Jewish holidays Israeli illegal settler groups have entered and prayed, on a number of occasions, in the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City, the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, and the Tomb of Joseph near Nablus. The settlers receive armed support from the Israeli occupation forces who turn the areas into closed military zones for the duration of the visits.

·         Lord, we pray that people of all faiths should be free to worship in the places holy to them without fear or obstruction. Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.

Saudi Arabia’s national football team came to play against the team of Palestine at the Palestinian stadium in Al-Ram in the West Bank. The teams fought hard in this qualifying match for the 2022 World Cup, but no goals were scored. Formerly, Saudi Arabia refused to send teams to play as they had extended their boycott of Israel to cover the occupied territories.

·         We thank you, Lord for the joy and enthusiasm shown by the Palestinian football fans as they watched their team compete at an international level. We pray there will be more opportunities for Palestinian sportsmen and women to meet athletes from other countries. Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.

Sabeel is preparing to host its first International Gathering from the 2nd to the 7th of December 2019, at various venues in Bethlehem, Palestine. The gathering will bring together different organisations working for a just peace in Palestine and Israel, including Kairos Palestine, Bethlehem Bible College, al-Liqa, and Dar al-Kalima. The gathering will also explore the Kumi Now initiative and ways in which the worldwide community can engage in non-violent action to achieve a just peace in Palestine/Israel.

·         Lord Jesus, we pray that you would draw those people to attend the Sabeel International Gathering whom you want to use to help bring about just peace in the Holy Land. We ask, Lord, that you would give ‘a spirit of wisdom’ to those who are preparing to speak at the gathering and that the hearts of those who attend will be open to receive their message. Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.

·         We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of: The Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Sint Maarten, St Kitts-Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago. Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.