Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of July 31, 2017
Although Israel continues to impose restrictions on access to Al-Aqsa Mosque, there have been some victories as a result of the protests, including that the metal detectors and some cameras have been removed. There were prayers inside the mosque on Friday, with as many as 10,000 worshippers participating. Sabeel and Kairos Palestine led a delegation of Christian leaders to meet with Muslim leaders and protest together at Al-Aqsa mosque, emphasizing that increased Israeli control at Haram al-Sharif is a concern for all Palestinians, regardless of religion.
Lord, we thank you for the successes that have come from the nonviolent protests in Jerusalem, and for the unified stand Muslims and Christians against the occupation in general, and in East Jerusalem in particular. We pray that the nonviolent protests will continue and Israel will end its control over East Jerusalem and all of the occupied Palestinian territories.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer…
In March 2016, an Israeli soldier named Elor Azaria killed Abdul Fatah al-Sharif in Hebron. Al-Sharif was wounded and already incapacitated after attempting to stab another soldier when Azaria shot him in the head. This week, an Israeli court denied Azaria’s appeal of his 18-month prison sentence amid calls by Israeli leading figures for his pardon.
Lord, we lament the killing of Abdul Fatah al-Sharif. We mourn a climate which Palestinian attackers are extra judicially executed while Israeli attackers are given minimal sentences.
Lord, in your mercy…
Twenty-year-old Mahdi al-Saadi was chased and shot to death, at close range, by Israeli police in his hometown of Jaffa while unarmed. This is another incident in the consistent mistreatment of Palestinian citizens by Israeli police. In response, there have been protests and clashes with police in Jaffa.
Lord, we mourn for Mahdi al-Saadi and all the other young people who are killed by police as a result of racial profiling and prejudice. We lament that Palestinians and Israelis who are accused of crimes are treated so differently, and pray that police officers would protect people rather than mistreating them.
Lord, in your mercy…
In Amman, Jordan, an Israeli embassy security guard killed two Jordanians, one of them a bystander. The security guard was welcomed as a hero in Israel, including by Prime Minister Netanyahu, who hugged him and praised his behavior, saying it was self-defense from an attempted stabbing. The Israeli investigation is still ongoing, but most likely will be superficial.
Lord, we lament the culture of violence in which claims of self-defense allow Israelis to shoot and kill people with few consequences or questions. We mourn the deaths of the two people who were killed in Amman.
Lord, in your mercy…
We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the Republic of Congo, Gabon, and Sao Tomé and Principe.
Lord, in your mercy…