Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of May 18, 2020

On Tuesday, the 12th of May, the Palestinian Health Minister, Dr Al Kaila stated that Palestine had not recorded any new case of COVID-19 for the fifth consecutive day running. The first cases of the virus showed up in Bethlehem. The town has now been declared virus-free, but it has been hit by a very serious economic downturn caused mainly by the cessation of tourism.

Dear Lord, we pray for all those in Palestine/Israel and around the world who have lost loved ones in the COVID-19 pandemic. We pray too for those who have lost their livelihoods and are now destitute, that support may be offered to those in need. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Kumi Now announces new weekly video conferences with organizations working for Palestine. All the information you need to participate in these conferences is available at Kumi Now Online. The first video will focus on the work of Dr Mazin Qumsiyeh and the Palestine Museum of Natural History on Tuesday, the 2nd of June at 6:00pm Palestinian time.

Lord, we thank you for the possibility of using technology to reach out across the world to link with other people and to discover their hopes and dreams. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Israeli occupation soldiers shot and killed Zeid Qeisieh, a fifteen-year-old Palestinian boy in Fawwar Refugee Camp, south of Hebron on Wednesday,13th May. Zeid was shot in the head while four other boys were also shot and injured. Local reports state that the youths clashed with soldiers when they broke into the camp.

Lord, we pray for the family of Zeid as they grieve the loss of their young son. We pray that this young generation of Palestinians will not be condemned to spend their whole lives in refugee camps facing daily violence from occupation forces and that a just solution to the ongoing occupation of Palestine will give them hope. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Three senior United Nations’ officials have called for the release of Palestinian children from Israeli prisons and detention centers. As of the end of March 2020, there are 194 Palestinian children being held on pre-trial detention. During a pandemic, children who have been detained should, by right, be released and detentions prohibited to avoid further contamination.

Oh Lord, we cry to you for the Palestinian children held without charge for an unspecified length of time in Israeli prisons. We are to ‘remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them’ (Heb13:3). Lord, many of these children will be scared and missing their families, we pray for their release. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Eleven Palestinian women gave been killed as a result of domestic violence so far this year, with five of these victims having died since the lockdown which began in early March. A surge in cases of domestic abuse of children and sexual violence has also been reported.

Lord, we pray that the pressures on people across the world since the start of COVID-19 will start to ease as families adjust to a new normal way of life with fewer restrictions. We pray particularly that this rise in domestic violence in Palestine will end and that the strong Palestinian women can live without threat of violence within their own families. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

Every year, on the 21st of May, UNESCO celebrates the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. It is a day on which different cultures from all over the world are promoted, alongside ways in which these communities might benefit from sustainable development. At this time, we think of all those Palestinian craftspeople who strive to keep the culture of Palestine alive in Olive wood, mother of pearl, fabric, and many other materials.

Lord, we pray that we might all learn from the way our communities have had to slow down as a result of the pandemic. Help us to consider how we live in our local community and how we respect the environment around us. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the Indian Ocean Islands, Comoros, Madagascar, the Maldives, Mauritius, and the Seychelles. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.