Sabeel Wave of Prayer
4.8.22
Kumi Now marks the ‘International Day of the
World’s Indigenous People” on Tuesday, the 9th of August. Recent history is
full of evidence to establish Palestinian claims of indigenous status. The
Nakba and its consequences, dispossession of land, forced exile, the denial of
history and culture are experiences similar to those suffered by other
indigenous people around the world.
•
Lord, we pray for the indigenous populations of
the world as they raise their voices and hold on to their distinct identities
in the face of colonial powers. Lord, in your mercy…
A six-year-old boy, Hasan al-Abayat was grabbed
by Israeli soldiers and kept for more than an hour in Kisan in the Bethlehem
District. B’Tselem reports that soldiers came to his home on Saturday, the 25th
of June, to question his father Musa, the head of the village council. Earlier
in the day Musa had supervised a peaceful protest over the pungent smell
generated by a waste recycling plant at the nearby settlement of Ma’ale Amos.
Family and friends tried to rescue Hasan, but the soldiers threw stun grenades
at them to fend them off. The young child was finally released when his father
returned from work and he was then frisked, interrogated and detained.
•
Lord, it is harrowing to think of Hasan, such a
young child, terrorized by fully armed soldiers and separated from his family.
We pray for the al-Abayat family and for the trauma they recently suffered. We
pray for the residents of Kisan whose daily lives are blighted by pollution
coming from the nearby settlement. Lord in your mercy…
In another report B”Tselem has provided witness
statements about assaults being carried out by Israeli forces on mourners at
Palestinian funerals. Since the date of Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral on Friday,
the 13th of May, there have been violent assaults by Israeli forces at three
other Palestinian funerals. Israeli forces have used clubs, tear gas, stun
grenades and sponge rounds on Palestinian mourners.
•
Lord, we pray for all those Palestinian
families who attended family funerals and experienced violent assaults from the
Israeli authorities. We pray for the families and friends who suffered this
contempt at the funerals of Shireen Abu Akleh, Walid a-Sharif, Ghufran Warasnah
and Nayfeh a-Tous. We pray that the Israeli authorities will leave the
Palestinian people to mourn their loved ones in peace. Lord, in your mercy…
Hundreds of Palestinian lawyers held a street
protest on Thursday, the 25th of July, against the Palestinian Authority’s
‘rule by decree’ and condemned President Abbas for governing without a
parliament. Suhail Ashour, the newly-elected President of the Palestinian Bar
Association stated that the rights of Palestinians are at risk when new decrees
are being imposed by very few lawmakers.
•
Lord, we pray that Palestinians will be able to
participate fully in their own governance through free and fair presidential
and legislative elections. Lord, in your mercy..
The former Deputy Chief of the Israeli Police
Investigation Department, (PID),
Moshe Saada has revealed in a recent television
interview that he was subjected to pressure to close down an investigation into
the killing of Ya’akub Abu al Qi’an in 2017.
Israeli police shot and killed Abu al-Qi’an, a
50-year-old Bedouin Maths teacher, during the home demolition operation at the
village of Umm al-Hiran in the Naqab.
•
Lord, we pray for the family of Ya’akub Abu al
Qi’an as they seek to discover the true circumstances surrounding his death. We
pray that the Israeli police and military authorities will stop granting
immunity to their officers for the killing of Palestinians. Lord, in your
mercy..
On Sunday, the 24th of July, two people were
killed and twelve were injured by the bombardment of Ayia Sofia Church as
it was being inaugurated in Syria’s province of Hama. The attack on the church
comes just two days after bombs killed seven people in the rebel-held Idlib
region.
•
Lord, we pray for our brothers and sisters in
Syria and especially those who attended the inauguration of Ayia Sofia Church,
only to witness more bloodshed. Lord, we pray for an end to violence in Syria,
eleven years since war broke out. We pray that Syrians will be able to restore
their communities and once again live in peace and security. Lord, in your
mercy …
•
We join with the World Council of Churches in
their prayers for the countries of the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Sao Tome and
Principe. Lord, in your mercy…
No comments:
Post a Comment