Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of Sept. 27, 2021

This week’s Kumi Now online gathering heard about the plight of Bedouin communities across Palestine and Israel. They have suffered decades of harassment from the Israeli authorities, with frequent home demolitions and forcible transfers. The International Day of Non-violence is celebrated on Saturday, the 2nd of October, the birth date of Mahatma Gandhi. During the following week Kumi Now will focus on the organizations seeking to ‘secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence’.

• Lord, we pray for the many individuals and groups working on all sides of the conflict in Palestine and Israel to bring about a just solution through non-violence. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Friday, the 24th of September, the funeral of Mohammed Khabisah took place in Beita, south of Nablus in the West Bank. Mohammed was killed when he was shot in the head by Israeli troops during clashes with Palestinian protestors. The protestors were objecting to the illegal Israeli settler outpost where settlers moved out in the summer as part of a deal with the Israeli government leaving the settlers with hopes to return to the site which remains locked and under military guard.

• Lord, we pray for Mohammed’s family and friends who mourn his loss. We pray too for an end to the rapid expansion of illegal Israeli settlement outposts in the occupied Palestinian Territories. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Last week the US House of Representatives agreed an additional $1 billion of military aid to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome system. Only nine Democrats voted against the funding. The US currently donates over $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel every year.

• Lord, we pray for justice, peace, and security for all who live in the Holy Land, not just the Israelis. We pray for an end to the Israeli occupation and the massive build-up of weapons, security systems, and military prisons. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayers.

For the past week Palestinian prisoner, Amin Shweiki, 61, has refused to take the insulin injections he needs to manage his diabetes, in protest against his administrative detention. He is the owner of a well-known glass shop in the Old City of Jerusalem. He was caught up in the wave of arrests in mid-May over the protests about Sheikh Jarrah and the bombardment of Gaza.

• Lord, we pray for Amin as his health deteriorates whilst he protests against his detention without charge. We pray that the Israeli authorities would stop this inhumane form of detention which deprives Palestinians of formal charges or the right of a trial and keeps them imprisoned for indefinite periods of time. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Muhammad Hassan was working on the roof of his brother’s newly built house in Qusrah, southeast of Nablus on Saturday, the 3rd of July. A large group of armed settlers had entered the village, accompanied by four Israeli soldiers, and started pelting him with stones. He tried to fend them off by throwing stones at them but was shot and injured by one of the soldiers. Villagers were prevented from helping him by the soldiers. After some delay he was taken to hospital but died of his wounds later that day.

• Lord, we pray for Muhammad’s family as they grieve over this unprovoked attack and his death. We pray that the Israeli military authorities will hold to account any soldiers who do not abide by their open-fire policy under international humanitarian law. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Palestinian pupils were deliberately prevented from reaching their school on time on Wednesday, the 22nd of September. Israeli forces stopped them from using the Nablus to Ramallah road and they had to scramble over rough terrain to get to their school in the village of al-Lubban Ash-Sharqiya, south of Nablus. While in the nearby village of Ammuriya a 17-year-old student was detained for two hours before being released.

• Lord, so many Palestinian pupils have their education disrupted by the Israeli authorities. We pray that the Israeli government will ensure equal access and resources to the education of Palestinian and Israeli children alike. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Thursday, the 23rd of September, the Appeals Court in The Hague heard an appeal objecting to the granting of immunity to two former Israeli military commanders, Benny Gantz and Amin Eskel. Ismail Ziada is bringing a case against the commanders for the targeted bombing attack on his home in Gaza, which killed six members of his family, including a young boy, and a visiting friend.

• Lord, you are just and righteous and we place our trust in you. We pray that countries around the world will continue to uphold international law and will hold to account those who commit crimes against humanity. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Wednesday 22^nd September, Israeli forces sealed off the archaeological site of Sebastia, near the northern city of Nablus. The site, believed to be the burial site of John the Baptist, has become a site of cultural conflict with Israeli attempts to seize control in the area.

• Lord, sites of archeological and religious importance are under constant threat from occupation forces and settlers. We pray for an end to all violations committed by both settlers and the Israeli military forces against our people, property and heritage. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers.
• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Peru. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.