Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of Feb. 8, 2021

The Kumi Now Online gathering will take place on Tuesday, the 9th of February, at 6pm (Jerusalem Time)/7 pm Eastern US time to consider the difficulties Palestinians face in accessing medical care. Particularly those living in Gaza face long delays and administrative hurdles in trying to obtain permits from the Israeli authorities to attend medical appointments outside the enclave.

• Lord, we pray that Israel will lift the restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinians, particularly those who need medical treatment living in Gaza. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Thursday, the 28th of January, marked the 10^th day of the hunger strike of two Palestinian brothers, Bassam and Bilal Diab from Kafr Ra’i in the northern part of the West Bank.They were re-arrested at their home on the 19th of January for their opposition to the occupation and incarcerated in Al-Jalama interrogation centre, near Haifa.

• Lord, we pray for the health of the Diab brothers and that they may soon be released from prison. We pray for the thousands of Palestinians languishing in Israeli jails because they have expressed their opposition to the occupation. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

The Israeli army ordered the temporary eviction of five Bedouin families in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron on Sunday, the 31st of January, to make way for military training exercises in the area. The families were forced to evacuate at short notice and are concerned their land will be unsafe when they are allowed to return.

• Lord, we pray for an end to the constant harassment and disruption caused by the Israeli military to the lives of the Bedouin people in the Jordan Valley. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Patriarch Michel Sabbah shared his reflections in a film entitled, ‘The People’s Patriarch’ in a livestream on Saturday, the 6th of February. He was the non-Italian for over 500 years to hold the office of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem (1987-2008). He was also one of the prominent Palestinian Christian leaders to introduce the Kairos Document in 2009.

• Lord, we thank you for the life and witness of Michel Sabbah and for his courage in continuing to speak out against the injustices of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Issa Amro is due to appear before an Israeli military judge on Monday, the 8th of February to hear his sentence. He is the founder of Youth Against Settlements and has protested against human rights abuses in a nonviolent way for years. Amnesty International has called on Israel to drop the ‘politically motivated’ case against Issa, calling the charges against him ‘baseless’. 

• Lord Jesus, our bright morning star, (Rev22:16) guide us through the darkness and light our way when justice is far from us and we walk in the gloom. We pray for Issa and for all Palestinians who protest nonviolently against the Israeli occupation. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

A large-scale demolition of 28 Palestinian homes and structures was carried out by the Israeli army on Monday, the 1st of February, in Hemsa al-Foqa, east of the city of Tubas in the northern Jordan Valley. This demolition has rendered 85 Palestinians homeless, including 45 children.

• Lord, we pray that the demolition of Palestinian homes by the Israeli authorities will cease. We pray that the international community will intervene to prevent the Israeli government from all attempts to displace Palestinians and oust them from the land. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

On Monday, the 1st of February, Israeli police opened fire in a residential area in Tamra, northern Israel, in an incident involving two masked gunmen. The police killed one suspect and injured another. Several other Palestinians were caught up in the incident. Ahmad Hijazi, a 22-year-old nursing student, was killed and Muhammad Armoush, a 31-year-old doctor, was injured and taken to a hospital in Haifa for treatment. Thousands of Palestinians turned out in four Arab cities in Israel on the following evening to protest the failure of the Israeli police to arrest members of criminal gangs in the Arab-Israeli community and for the lack of gun control.

• Lord, we pray for the families of those killed and for the  injured victims in the most recent incident in Tamra as they grieve their loss and recover from their wounds. We pray that the cycle of violence in the Arab- Israeli community will be thoroughly investigated and brought under control. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

The deaths of two prominent Palestinians has just been announced. Alia Nusseibeh spent sixty years of her life championing the cause of education for women and set up the Al Nithamia School for Girls in Jerusalem. She was also an outspoken campaigner against Israeli interference in the Palestinian education system in occupied East Jerusalem.Abdul Sattar Qassam, a Palestinian academic and political activist, died of Covid-19 on Monday, the 1st of February at the age of 72 years. He was the Professor of Political Science at Al-Najah University in Nablus.

• We thank you Lord for the way Alia Nusseibeh and Abdul Qassam devoted their lives to the education of young women and men. We thank you also for their courage in speaking out against the injustices of the Israeli occupation. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.
• We pray for Margaret Karram, from Haifa, as she becomes the first Arab to lead the Catholic Focolare Movement as president. We pray for God support for Margaret in her tasks, especially during these difficult times. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.
• We join the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Andorra, Italy, Malta, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, and the Vatican City. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.