7th of April,
2022
Last
week’s Kumi Now focused on Palestinian minors in Israeli military courts as we
remembered Palestinian Children’s Day on Tuesday, the 5th of April. As of
December 2021 there are 145 children held as security prisoners inside Israel
(militarycourtwatch.org) and Israeli soldiers carry out ten or more search and
arrest operations in Palestinian communities in the West Bank each day.
Next
week the topic for discussion will be home demolitions on Tuesday, the 12th of
April.
• Lord, we pray for the Palestinian
children who suffer the trauma of night arrests, trials and imprisonment far
away from family support. We pray for an end to this brutal treatment of
children by the Israeli military, which persists despite being condemned by
international law. Lord, in your mercy..
Suha
Zabaneh, a fourteen year old young woman from Haifa was taking part in a school
outing when she died from a sudden heart attack. This sad news has affected her
home community and many others in the country.
• Lord of compassion and mercy, we
pray for the family and friends of Suha as they mourn her untimely death. Help
us to draw near to you in times of grief and let us remember this young woman
whose life ended so abruptly and the sorrow caused to her family, school
friends and teachers. Lord, in your mercy…
Sabeel
organized an Egg Hunt for 90 children in Bethlehem. Four different
organizations working with families on the margins of society have come
together to welcome children for a day of fun activities.
• Lord, we pray that the children
may have a day of joy as they take part in this special time together. May this
be a bright day, full of laughter, when the children experience your love
through those who host it. Lord, in your mercy..
Safa’
Obeid is a young teacher at UNRWA Sweileh Girl’s School in Jordan and she has
been awarded this year’s title of Earth Prize Educator of the Year. The
competition was open to students between the ages of 13-19 to come up with
creative solutions for their environmental concerns. The three teams she
entered developed sustainable projects focused on their lives as refugees in
Jordan.
• Lord, we thank you for the
initiative shown by Safa’ Obeid as she raises greater awareness in her students
of how to tackle climate change and to become better stewards of their
environment. Lord, in your mercy..
On
Wednesday, the 30th of March, a large demonstration took place in Gaza City to
mark Land Day. Demonstrators called for the right to return to the land they
were displaced from in 1948. This day has been commemorated since 1976 when six
Palestinians lost their lives and hundreds were injured when protestors
objected to the Israeli government’s requisition of large swathes of land in
the Galilee region.
• Lord, we pray for an end to the
way Israeli authorities continue to requisition land, displace Arab communities
and deny Palestinians the right of return to their homes. Lord, in your mercy..
During
the coming week Saturday, the 9th of April, will be remembered by many
Palestinians as the date of the Deir Yassin Massacre 1948. More than 100
villagers in this small community near Jerusalem were killed when attacked by
the Stern Gang during the Nakba. News of this attack soon spread to other
communities and many other Palestinians were forced to flee their homes as the
Israeli troops continued to attack.
• Lord, we pray for the millions
of Palestinians still forced to live in refugee camps, many in other countries,
as a result of the Nakba in 1948. Many long to return to their homeland but
must wait and watch as their children and grandchildren remain refugees. Lord,
in your mercy..
The
World Council of Churches expressed solidarity with the heads of the churches
in Jerusalem as Israeli settlers broke into a hotel belonging to the Greek
Orthodox Patriarchate. On Sunday, the 27th of March, members of the Ateret Cohanim settler group, accompanied
by local Israeli police, broke into the Little Petra Hotel near Jaffa Gate in
the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem and evicted the family who managed the
hotel.
• Lord, we pray for the protection
of Palestinians from Israeli settler attacks and forced displacements. We pray
that the Israeli authorities in Jerusalem will uphold the law and remove the
settlers from the church property and hold the offenders to account. Lord, in
your mercy…
• We join with the World Council
of Churches in their prayers for the Balkans-Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia. Lord, in
your mercy…
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