Sabeel Wave of Prayer
28th of July, 2022
On Tuesday the 2nd of August the Kumi
Now community looks at the Geneva Convention, adopted in 1949. Article 33 of
the fourth Geneva Convention outlaws the use of collective punishment. And yet,
Israel has used collective punishment as one of the key components in its
policies towards Palestine, apparently without drawing down international
condemnation.
•
Lord, we pray that the Israeli government will change its
stance regarding the use of collective punishment towards Palestinians. We pray
that international organisations and governments around the world will hold
Israel to account for breaching international law. Lord, in your mercy..
Churches for Middle East Peace, a
coalition of thirty US churches, released a statement on Tuesday, the 19th of
July, expressing disappointment with President Biden’s visit to Israel and
Palestine. It stated, ‘while affirming the US/Israel relationship and the
billions of dollars of US assistance that go with it, the President said almost
nothing about the abuses committed by Israel with that assistance against
Palestinians’.
•
Lord, we pray that the US administration will follow up on this visit by starting to speak
out against the Israeli human rights abuses against Palestinians. Lord, in your
mercy…
The US Presbyterian Church has
declared that Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people constitutes
apartheid. The General Assembly voted decisively for the resolution on Friday,
the 8th of July.
•
Lord we give thanks for the clear declaration of the US
Presbyterian Church. We pray that this resolution will be ‘pursued with the
hope it will lead to a peaceful reconciliation for the people of Israel and
Palestine, similar to that which occurred in South Africa when apartheid was
internationally acknowledged.’ Lord, in your mercy…
Kabelo Masalesa , an 11-year-old boy
from Alexandra, South Africa, drowned in a swimming pool in Palestine when his
team was visiting to take part in a football tournament. His team was one of
eighteen teams which had been sponsored to participate in the tournament from
the 13th-21st of July.
•
Lord, we pray for the family and friends of Kabelo who are
grieving for their sudden loss. We pray that the links forged between young
footballers from both countries will not be broken by this tragic accident.
Lord, in your mercy…
The Palestinian composer, Ahmed Abu
Abed won first place at the USA Music Composition International Competition in
June 2022. Abu Abed is a music teacher at the Modern American School in Amman,
Jordan. He will travel to New York in early 2023 to perform his prize-winning
piece before a live audience.
•
Lord, we give thanks for the international recognition of
Abu Abed’s musical gifts. We are thankful for his longing to share his heritage
of expressive Palestinian folk tunes through his orchestral compositions. Lord,
in your mercy..
Young Palestinian musicians were
invited to perform concerts in Ankara and Istanbul this July. Palestinians from
the diaspora joined together with musicians from the Edward Said National
Conservatory of Music in Ramallah to perform with Turkish musicians from the
Presidential Symphony Orchestra. The young musicians wanted to send a message
of peace through their concert performances.
•
Lord, we are thankful for the unifying power of music and
for the way young musicians have been drawn together from Palestine, from the
diaspora and from Turkey to learn from one another and to convey their mutual
longing for peace. Lord, in your mercy…
After a long struggle with illness,
Archbishop Gabriel Daho died on Thursday, the 21st of July. Three years ago he
was consecrated as the Archbishop of Jerusalem, the Holy Land and Jordan by
Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem ll, the head of the Syrian Orthodox Church.
•
Lord, we give thanks for the life and service of Archbishop
Gabriel Daho. We pray for members of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate, which
represents one of the oldest Christian communities in the region. Lord, in your
mercy…
•
We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers
for the countries of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
Lord, in your mercy…
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