English November 14-2019

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

14^th November 2019

104 Palestinian civilians, including 43 children, a woman and a paramedic, were shot and injured by Israeli occupation forces’ (IOF) fire against peaceful protestors at the 82nd Great March of Return (GMR), this Friday, 08 November 2019. Israeli occupation forces continued the use of excessive force against peaceful protestors, as 41 civilians sustained live-bullet-injuries – including 2 children in critical condition- in addition to other injuries by rubber bullets and tear gas canisters mainly in protesters’ upper bodies.

·         Lord, we continue to pray for all who demonstrate for justice and equality. We pray in the name of Jesus, who proclaimed, ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.’ (Matthew5:6) Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.

We consider the work of the Mennonite Palestine Israel Network (MennoPIN), in this week’s Kumi Now Initiative. MennoPIN works to raise awareness about home demolitions in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Israeli government issues less than 2% of Palestinian applications for building permits. It then demands the demolition of homes built without permits. It also uses the threat of demolition as collective punishment for any opposition to the Israeli government. Such harassment is ruled illegal by international law.

·         Lord, we pray for all those who are forced to demolish their own homes or to pay the Israeli government to demolish them in Palestine. We pray that this inhumane policy will cease, and that Palestinians will be granted the right to build homes for their families. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Israel’s highest court upheld the government’s decision to deport the local director of Human Rights Watch on Tuesday, the 5th of November. Omar Shakir, a US citizen, has been given twenty days before he must return to the US, on the grounds of his alleged support for the boycott movement. Under the 2017 law the Israeli government can block the entry or the visa renewal of anyone who supports a boycott of the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

·         Lord, we pray for those who work for the Human Rights Watch in Israel. We pray they will continue to act as truthful witnesses and that attempts to silence their truth-telling will be thwarted. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.

The Israeli authorities released two Jordanian citizens who had been detained under administrative detention for two months. Hiba al-Labadi and Abdul Rahman Miri crossed King Hussein’s Bridge to return to Jordan on Wednesday, the 6th of November. These arrests have further strained relations between Israel and Jordan, 25years after their peace treaty.

·         Lord, we are thankful for the release of Hiba and Abdul Rahman after the intervention of the Jordanian authorities. We remember that so many Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons for years under administrative detention, with no recourse to justice. We pray that this form of detention in Israel will cease. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer

On Friday, the 15th of November Sabeel will be hosting a women’s activity day. Palestinian women will be coming together to cook traditional recipes eaten at Christian festivals.

·         Lord, we pray that the Sabeel Women’s Day will be a time of joy and fellowship as these women share their knowledge of how to prepare traditional dishes. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Sabeel Nazareth is planning to honour the work of Violet Khoury as she retires from their local office. Many foreign visitors on the Sabeel tour will remember Violet’s powerful testimony of her youth growing up in Nazareth as a Palestinian Christian, viewed as a second-class citizen in post 1948 Israel. She managed to complete her studies in pharmacology, first in Jerusalem and then in Rome and to succeed in setting up her own pharmacy against all the odds. She will be honoured as a strong and steadfast woman who worked hard to support her family, as well as supporting the work of Sabeel for many years. She will be joining the Sabeel General Assembly.

·         Thank you, Lord for the contribution of Violet Khoury to the work of Sabeel. We thank you for the gifts she has been blessed with and for the way she has used them to help others. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

November 15 marks Palestinian Independence Day. Unfortunately, in the 31 years since the state was declared in 1988, independence is still not a reality.

·         Lord, we offer thanks for all the people and organizations working to bring about a just peace that will allow Palestine to experience actual independence. We pray for transformation and freedom in this land. Lord in your mercy…

·          We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.