English July 8, 2021

 

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

8^th of July, 2021

 

This week marks the halfway point in the Kumi Now year.

Next week the Kumi Now online gathering on Tuesday the 13th of July will look at the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, (BDS). The BDS movement, which was launched on the 9th of July 2005, is now a global movement which seeks to challenge the international corporations which profit from the Israeli oppression of Palestinians.

 

•    Lord, we pray that more churches, academic associations, unions and other groups will reconsider how they are investing in corporations profiting from the Israeli Occupation. We pray that the pressure of divestment may help to bring pressure on the Israeli government to comply with international law. Lord, in your mercy…

 

During this week four Palestinian citizens of Israel have died in shootings. Since the beginning of this year forty-six Palestinian citizens have met violent deaths. On Saturday, the 26th of June, three members of one Palestinian family were killed in a shooting outside the village of Eilabun, in the Galilee region. A Palestinian man, his wife and 16-year-old daughter all died, while their 9-year-old daughter suffered moderate injuries. The following day Jamil Zabarqa, a 30-year-old man was shot and killed at a petrol station in Lod, southeast of Tel Aviv.

 

•    Lord, we pray for the recovery of the young girl shot near Galilee. We pray for all those grieving for the loss of the Palestinians killed in such a violent way over the weekend.  We pray that the Israeli police will investigate these crimes in a thorough way and expose any evidence of the work of criminal gangs. Lord, in your mercy…

 

The deadline set by the Israeli authorities for 13 Palestinian families to demolish their own houses ended on Sunday, the 27th of June. Demolition orders have been issued by the Israeli courts to 86 homes in the Al-Bustan quarter of the Silwan neighbourhood, south of the Old City in Jerusalem. An Israeli settler organisation seeks to turn this land into a national park.

 

•    Lord, we pray for an end to this Israeli policy of home demolitions, targeting Palestinian communities. We pray that international organisations and governments around the world will challenge this Israeli government policy and their violation of international human rights law. Lord, in your mercy...

 

On the night of Sunday, the 27th of June, Israelis from the illegal settlement of Ahiya, raided the village of Jalud, south of Nablus. They chopped down olive trees and grape vines, stole a water pump and tore up electrical wiring. This area, near Jalud school, is subject to frequent settler attacks.

 

•    Lord, we cry out to you for the Palestinian farmers trying to protect their livelihoods, only to have their crops and farms damaged again and again. We pray for an end to the vindictive acts of the settlers and that they should be held to account for their criminality. Lord, in your mercy…

 

 

 

 

 

 

The young adult group of Sabeel Nazareth met up for the first time since the start of the coronavirus to share a lunch together on Saturday, the 26th of June.

 

•    Lord Jesus, you are faithful to your promises. You promise to be with us where a few are gathered in your name. We pray that the gathering of the young adults in Nazareth will have been an encouragement to them and will help them to hold fast to the confession of their hope and faith. Lord, in your mercy…

 

Members of the community, clergy and representatives of Christian organisations visited the family of Nizar Banat to pay their respects to his family. They all condemned the circumstances of his brutal arrest and sudden death in custody. They also paid tribute to the way Nizar exercised his right to freedom of expression when he disagreed with local policies.

 

•    Lord, we pray for the family of Nizar Banat as they mourn his loss and we pray that the circumstances of his sudden death will be thoroughly investigated by the Palestinian Authority. Lord, in your mercy…

 

We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda. Lord, in your mercy…