English August 12, 2021

 

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Thursday 12^th August 2021

 

The 9th of August was celebrated as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. The Kumi Now Online gathering on Tuesday, the 10th of August considered how indigenous people, including Palestinians, struggle for their rights.

On Tuesday 17^th August, Kumi Now looks forward to remembering the World Humanitarian Day.The gathering will consider the US humanitarian support for Palestinians, which has been cut drastically in recent years.

 

·         ‘Lord, we pray for Palestinian refugees and the people of Gaza. May their needs always be provided. We pray for the hungry, the homeless, the unemployed, the sick of Palestine.May the last be the first and the first be last. We pray for our leaders who have it in their power to alleviate suffering, that they may be led along the path of justice. Soften their hearts and let them be moved by your grace.’(Churches for Middle East Peace) Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

 

On the 3rd of August, Dar al-Kalima in Bethlehem received full accreditation as a university. It was first established as a Community College in 2006. It now has five colleges and is authorised to grant all academic degrees.

 

·         We thank you, Lord, for the hard work and dedication of the staff at the Dar al-Kalima University. We pray that the teachers will continue to inspire and support their students to help them achieve their full potential, even under the repressive conditions of the Israeli occupation. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

 

Layan Nasir, a young student at Birzeit University, was arrested by the Israeli authorities on the 7th of July. She had taken part in protests over the death in detention of the activist Nizar Banat. She is one of seventy four students from Birzeit who have recently been detained and imprisoned by the Israeli authorities.

 

·         Lord, we pray that Layan and other Palestinian students will be released from prison. We pray that international pressure will be brought to bear on the Israeli government to stop the arbitrary arrests and imprisonment of Palestinian students. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayers.

 

Canadian Friends of Sabeel are raising money with a summertime initiative asking people to walk for Palestine. There are three different routes to choose. ‘Each route is based on a walking route in the Holy Land with extra kilometres to factor in the reality of checkpoints that Palestinians must deal with on their daily commute.’

 

·         Lord, we thank you for this Canadian fundraising initiative and pray that many would be interested in following the walking routes and many others would join in and find out about life for Palestinians under the Israeli occupation. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

 

The Israeli Supreme Court has deferred its verdict on the expulsion of Palestinian families from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem. It refused to rule on the status of the ownership of the land. Instead it put pressure on the Palestinians to accept the status of ‘protected residents’. Under this status they would be allowed to stay in their homes for three generations, if they paid rent to the Israeli settler organisation Nahalat Shimon.

 

·         Lord, we pray that voices around the world will demand that the Israeli government calls a halt to the relentless lawsuits brought by Israeli settler organisations to force Palestinians out of their homes in East Jerusalem. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

 

An Israeli film, entitled ‘Ahed’s Knee’, won the Jury Prize at this summer’s Cannes Film Festival. The film is based on the experiences of Nadav Lapid making a documentary about Ahed, a young Palestinian woman activist. The Israeli director described his film as, ‘full of pain and sadness about a country that should have been different, that could have been different.’

 

·         Thank you, Lord, that creative artists in Israel/Palestine are prepared to speak the truth about the apartheid conditions in their land. We pray for protection for them as they often face deceitful scheming and intimidation. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

 

In June, nearly 85,000 young Palestinian students in all the governates across the Occupied Territories sat the Tawjihi High School examinations. On Tuesday, the 3rd of August, 71% of the students celebrated their successful results.

 

·         Lord, we thank you for the commitment of so many young Palestinians to their studies, despite the disruptions of the pandemic and the economic and social instability in the West Bank and Gaza. We pray for resilience and a steadfast spirit to help these young people as they seek work or further education. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

 

·         We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of the Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.