Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of Aug. 20, 2018

On Tuesday the 17th of August, two Palestinians, Saadi Abu Maamar and Karim Abu Fatair, were killed and 270 other protesters were injured by the Israeli army along the eastern borders of the Gaza Strip. For over four months Palestinians have continued to take part in the‘The Great March of Return’ rallies.

Lord, we pray for the families of Saadi and Karim as they grieve over their loss. We continue to pray for the safety of the protestors and for them to continue to espouse non-violent means to achieve their demands. Lord, in your mercy…

 

 

Last week Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian house and vandalized forty vehicles in the northern West Bank district of Nablus. Also Israeli settlers destroyed hundreds of olive trees in the village of al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, in southern Nablus ,while settlers uprooted dozens of olive trees in the Palestinian village of Arraba in the northern occupied West Bank district of Jenin.

Lord, you are a merciful and gracious God and you work for ‘righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed’(Psalm 103:6). We continue to pray for the oppression of Palestinian communities who suffer repeated attacks. Lord, in your mercy…

The Israeli security agency, Shin Bet, has been detaining high-profile figures in the past few weeks as they travel in and out of the country.The Jewish American journalist Peter Beinart,  the Jewish activist Simone Zimmerman and  the Iranian-American author and CNN contributor Reza Aslan are among the people who have been stopped as they tried to enter the country and were questioned by Shin Bet for criticizing the policies of the Israeli government towards Palestinians.

Lord, we continue to give thanks for all the people of conscience who are willing to speak truth to power,even if they suffer a personal cost. We pray that human rights and freedom of speech would  be  duly respected in Israel and Palestine. Lord, in your mercy….  

The Palestine Aquarium was opened in Ramallah at the end of July. It is the first aquarium to be opened in Palestine and is a great attraction as many Palestinians in the West Bank are denied access to the coastline.The aquarium, which has 250 species, took more than a year to set up and was funded by a group of Palestinian investors. Israeli authorities tried to block parts of the project by denying access to the aquatic animals at the border, where some of them died in their containers.

Lord, we pray for all the Palestinian entrepreneurs who make ethical and creative investments in Palestine. We pray that this project may inspire joy and a sense of wonder at the beauty and diversity of your creation.  

Across Palestine and Israel, hundreds of thousands of children attend camps which provide them with activities while their schools are closed over the summer.

Lord, we thank you for programs which provide opportunities for children to relax and enjoy themselves, even while they continue to live under occupation. We pray for the organizers and volunteers who work  to make this possible. Lord, in your mercy…

Palestinian Muslims,with millions of other Muslim worshipers from around the world, have traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage. At the end of Hajj, Muslims prepare for Eid al-Adha, the most important holiday in the Muslim calendar, which falls this weekend.

We pray for our Muslim brothers and sisters, as some go on pilgrimage and as they  celebrate Eid al-Adha this week.  Lord, in your mercy…

We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone. Lord, in your mercy…