Sabeel Wave of Prayer: UN Security Council and Remembering the Nakba
Weekly prayers from Sabeel in #Jerusalem
Wave of Prayer: This prayer ministry enables local and international friends of Sabeel to pray over regional concerns on a weekly basis. Sent to Sabeel’s network of supporters, the prayer is used in services around the world and during Sabeel’s Thursday Communion service; as each community in its respective time zone lifts these concerns in prayer at noon every Thursday, this “wave of prayer” washes over the world.
The UN Security Council has called for an investigation into the death of Palestinian Minister Ziad Abu Ein, who died last week shortly after an Israeli border policeman shoved and grabbed him by the throat. The Minister was leading a group of Palestinians to plant olive trees near the village of Turnusayya in the West Bank in peaceful protest of the nearby illegal Jewish settlement of Adei Ad. God of justice, we pray for an end to Israeli’s use of violent measures at peaceful demonstrations where too often Palestinians are injured or killed. Lord in your mercy…
Last week the Israeli human rights organization, Zochrot (Hebrew for “remembering”), held the first ever “public truth commission” in Beersheba in the Negev featuring the testimonies of Israeli soldiers and Palestinian Bedouins who lived through the 1948 Nakba when 700,000 Palestinians fled their homes or were expelled by Jewish forces. We pray that the history of this catastrophe will be brought to light for all to see, and that a permanent political solution based on international law will open doors to reconciliation. Lord in your mercy…
Since the wave of violence this summer, around 100 Palestinian bus drivers of an Israeli bus company in Jerusalem have quit their jobs due to fear of attacks from Jewish extremists. Palestinian taxi drivers in Jerusalem have also been attacked and boycotted. Lord, we pray that Palestinians facing the city’s tensions every day are able to maintain their livelihoods during these difficult financial times without the additional worry of their safety. Lord in your mercy…
Lord, we pray that our upcoming annual Ecumenical Christmas Dinner will be a joyous time for the community and we ask for your blessing upon our Nazareth programs this week, including a youth Christmas celebration. We also lift our gratitude for our most recent issue of our Cornerstone publication, “Health, Occupied,” about the critical public health issues facing Palestinians under occupation and siege. Lord in your mercy…
We pray alongside the World Council of Churches for the countries of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo. Lord in your mercy…