Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of July 31, 2023

Next week’s Kumi Now will mark the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People which falls on the 9th of August. There is much evidence to establish the indigenous status of Palestinians on their land. Decades of loss and oppression under the Israeli occupation link them to the sufferings of other indigenous people.

•                                   Lord we pray for the indigenous populations of the world as they raise their voices and hold on to their distinct and diverse identities in the face of colonial oppression. Lord, in your mercy..

•                                   Merciful and loving God, we give thanks that when the Sabeel General Assembly met on Friday, the 28th of July, they granted their approval to the 2022 Sabeel Reports. ‘We give thanks for the many blessings you have so graciously given us. Thank you for your presence and guidance as we walk the way of peace. Lord, in your mercy..

About fifty Israeli settlers arrived in buses at the Mar Elias Monastery and church on Mount Carmel, near Haifa with the intention of breaking into the church and reciting Jewish prayers. A similar attempt had been thwarted earlier in the week. This time Palestinian worshippers prevented the settlers from disrupting services and made them retreat. Officials are now considering setting up perimeter gates to stop future incursions.

•                                   Lord, we cry out to you as we see more and more settler attacks on churches in Israel/Palestine as settler groups become emboldened by the present Israeli government. Lord, in your mercy..

Aljazeera have just screened a film by Jerome Evans entitled, Weaponising Water in Palestine, (27.7.23). It reveals how the Israeli occupation and the climate crisis have made Palestinians some of the most water insecure people in the world. Decades of Israeli occupation have left Palestinians struggling to access clean water. Israel now controls a majority of the freshwater resources in the occupied West Bank. While most of the water supply in Gaza is now unfit for human consumption.

•                                   Lord, we pray for all those in the occupied Palestinian Territories and Gaza suffering water shortages which threaten their health and livelihood. We pray for an equitable use of resources to enable the needs of all to be met. Lord, in your mercy..

Early on Thursday morning, on the 27th of July, a 14-year-old Palestinian boy, Fares Sharhabeel Abu Samra, was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier. Confrontations had broken out in Qalqilya in the occupied West Bank after the Israeli army had started to raid the area. The military claim they are investigating his death, but the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din recently revealed that less than one percent of Israeli soldiers accused of harming Palestinians are ever charged with crimes.

•                                   Lord, we pray for the family and friends of Fares as they grieve their loss. Our hearts cry out to you as we witness so much bloodshed and the loss of so many young Palestinian lives under the Israeli occupation. Lord in your mercy..

Last weekend three Palestinian women from three different Palestinian cities, Nazareth, Jerusalem and Jenin spoke in the Newcastle area. They will visit eight UK locations to speak about how their lives are impacted by the Israeli occupation in the ‘Building Hope and Voices for Palestine’ Tour, sponsored by UK activists.

•                                   Lord, we give thanks for the courage of these three Palestinian women who have  undertaken the difficult journey from their homes to give their testimonies in the UK. We pray that many will be inspired by their courage to shine a light on the injustice and oppression in Palestine/ Israel that  politicians so desperately try to hide. Lord, in your mercy..

Four Gaza fishermen were detained by Israeli naval gunboats about three nautical miles off the al Sudaniyya coast, northwest of Gaza City on Monday, the 24th of July. The fishermen, all from the Bakr family, were arrested  and taken to Ashdod and their boat was seized. On the same day seven Israeli military vehicles, including bulldozers and tanks, crossed borders east of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza and destroyed agricultural land.

•                                   Lord Jesus, we turn to you as we lament the plight of those living in Gaza, trying to eke out a living on the land and sea without sufficient resources as a result of the 16-year-old blockade and constant Israeli military attacks. Lord, in your mercy..

•                                   We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Republic of Congo, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe. Lord, in your mercy…