Sabeel
Wave of Prayer
11th of August 2022
Next week, on Friday the 19th of August, Kumi
Now will mark World Humanitarian Day.
On this day we advocate for humanitarian aid
workers and for all those affected by crises around the world. At the same time
we call to mind the massive cuts in US humanitarian aid to Palestinians and for
the suffering of refugees living in Gaza, Syria and the Lebanon now living in
dire need.
• Lord, we pray for an end to the Israeli
occupation and for the right of return for all Palestinian refugees forced from
their land. Lord, in your mercy…
Palestinian students have succeeded well in
their Tawjihi high school general certificate examinations this summer. More
than 85,300 students took the exam in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza and
there was an overall pass rate of over 68 per cent.
• Lord, we are thankful for the determination of
so many young Palestinians to focus on their education despite the difficult
circumstances of growing up under Israeli occupation. We pray for these
students as many will now seek work, while others pursue their studies. Lord,
in your mercy…
After three
days of fighting, Israel and Islamic Jihad have agreed to a ceasefire
negotiated by Egypt. The death toll in Gaza reached 44,
including 15 children, and 360
injured due to Israeli airstrikes.
·
Lord, we thank you for all the people
involved in the negotiations to bring about the ceasefire and to deescalate the
mounting violence. Lord, in your mercy... hear our prayers.
Nineteen families have left the herding
community of Ras a Tin in Area C in the West Bank, with many of them relocating
to Area B. The community was formerly made up of 35 households, comprising 250
people. It has been subjected to continual harassment from Israeli forces with
frequent damage to their homes and livestock structures, as well as violent
assaults from settlers, including a recent arson attack.
• Lord, we pray for the Palestinian herding
communities who are attacked by settlers and Israeli forces, making their lives
intolerable. We pray for an end to the Israseli occupation so that these
Palestinian herding communities can go back to their pastures. Lord, in your
mercy..
Nuzhah ‘Afanah, a young Palestinian woman with
a Palestinian Authority identity card was arrested on Wednesday, the 29th of
June, when her husband was driving her and their two baby daughters in East
Jerusalem. Under the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, (2003) Nuzhah is
required to have a temporary permit to allow her to enter East Jerusalem, but
these permits are rarely, if ever, granted. She was taken to the police station
to be interrogated and then driven to Checkpoint 300 in southern Jerusalem and
left there alone in the middle of the night. Relatives had to go and collect
the young children and later go and rescue her.
• Lord, we pray for an end to the discriminatory
laws imposed on Palestinians by the Israeli authorities which prevent married
couples and their families from living
together without the constant fear of separation. Lord, in your mercy..
Nabil Ghanum,(53), lived in Sara, a village
near Nablus. On Sunday, the 19th of June, Nabil tried to cross through one of
the gaps in the separation barrier near Qalqiliyah Checkpoint to enter Israel
to work. As soon as he crossed the fence with some other Palestinian workers,
Israeli soldiers fired at them. Nabil was shot and injured and later died of
his wounds in an Israeli hospital. The B’Tselem report of this incident states
that, ‘the opening of live fire against Palestinians seeking to work in Israel
is unlawful and cannot be justified’.
• Lord, we pray for the family of Nabil Ghanum
as they grieve his loss. We pray for an end to the policy of using live fire to
shoot Palestinians crossing the separation barrier to seek work in Israel.
Lord, in your mercy…
Musicians Michele Cantoni and his wife
Mathilde decided to move to Palestine and have dedicated their lives to
supporting young Palestinians. They set up the Amwaj Choir in 2015, an Arabic
name meaning waves. There are sixty choir members between the ages of 7-21 years.
They come from cities, refugee camps and rural areas in the Bethlehem and
Hebron area. Standards are high and the choir members are expected to rehearse
for 6-8 hours each week.
• Lord, we thank you for the gift of music and
for the deep joy and fellowship inspired among the members of the Amwaj Choir.
We pray for them as Michele and Mathilde Cantoni continue to train them for
their proposed tour of Italy. Lord, in your mercy
The Ramallah-based Lawyers for Justice group
have reported that 94 activists have been arrested by the Palestinian Authority
over the past two months. This is one of the widest political arrest campaigns
in years. Students and journalists have been among those arrested, but none
have been charged with offences. Many were released after ten days in prison,
but twenty remain in detention.
• Lord, we pray that the Palestinian Authority
and its security forces will stop arresting activists as a means of
intimidating their critics and opponents. Lord, in your mercy…
• We join with the World Council of Churches in
their prayers for the countries of Cameroon, Central African Republic and
Equatorial Guinea. Lord, in your mercy…,
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