Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of April 4, 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 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…