Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of Oct. 7, 2019

‘Ala’a Hamdan (28), from the Beit Hanoun area of Gaza, was killed, and 65 others injured, including 25 children, a woman and a paramedic, as a result of Israeli attacks against peaceful protestors at the 77th Great March of Return, this Friday, 04 October 2019.

Lord, we pray for the family of ‘Ala’a as they mourn their loss and for all those injured as a result of Israeli fire on mainly peaceful protestors. We continue to pray for all the people of Gaza, living under blockade and repeated military bombardment, adding fear to the misery of poverty and want. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

This week, the Kumi Now initiative looks at the work of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, (PCHR). This non-governmental organization was set up in Gaza by a group of Palestinian lawyers and activists in 1995, in response to the rise in human rights’ abuses under the Israeli military occupation. They work to protect human rights and to promote the rule of law in line with international standards. In recent years they have been working to obtain travel permits for thousands of patients who are unable to receive urgent medical treatment in Gaza due to the Israeli siege.

Dear Lord, we pray for the work of the PCHR as they devote their energy to helping those in need in their land. We pray that the Israeli authorities would lift the twelve-year siege of Gaza, which is causing untold suffering and despair. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Samer Arbeed was rushed to hospital in a critical condition on the night of Saturday, 28th of September after undergoing interrogation and torture by Israel’s Shin Bet Security Service. He was being held under suspicion of masterminding an attack which claimed the life of an Israeli teenage girl, Rina Shnerb, in August. His lawyers insist that he was in good health before being taken into custody.

Lord, we pray that the torture during interrogation by Israeli security services is brought to an end. We pray with our brothers and sisters, who remembered Palestinian political prisoners in a service at the Orthodox Church in Ramallah this week. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Last week, Israeli occupation forces closed checkpoints between the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel for the two days of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) celebrations, restricting most Palestinians from leaving the occupied territories. There will be two further closures of the border crossings for the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) on October 8th and 9th and Sukkot (Feast of the Tabernacles) between October 13th and 21st.

Lord, we pray for an end to the apartheid system in the Holy Land. The Israeli authorities focus on their own services and festivals, disregarding the needs of the Palestinian population. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

On the weekend beginning the 4th of October a conference took place in Härnösand, Sweden entitled, ‘Dialogue there, dialogue here’. Omar Harami from Sabeel Jerusalem was one of the speakers who addressed the challenge of trying to establish dialogue in Palestine/Israel today.

Lord, we pray for those who attended the conference, that they may have been encouraged to keep listening to others who may have quite different experiences and convictions from their own. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

On Friday, 5th October, thousands of Israeli Arabs, citizens of Israel, took part in protests against the Israeli Police’s failure to properly address violence in the Israeli Arab community. The peaceful protests were held in numerous Israeli Arab cities across the country, blocking major roads and entrances to majority Arab towns. Since the beginning of 2019, more than 70 Israeli Arabs have been murdered with little or no action by the Israeli Police towards preventing these crimes.

Lord of justice, we pray that you guide police in Israel, and around the world, to protect the people of all communities. Grant solace to those families who have lost loved ones through violence, and that the protests continue to be peaceful. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Sabeel is holding its annual Ecumenical Clergy Retreat this week Monday 14th to Friday 18th of October. The retreat will take place in Amman, Jordan. A number of distinguished clergy and lay people will lead the sessions.

We pray dear Lord for your blessing on this Retreat and for the ecumenical spirit that prevails in the Sabeel programs. Guide the speakers and the participants to be nourished by this fellowship and help them disseminate the right attitude in their parishes so that the “Other” will be a blessing.  Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.

We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.