Global Ministries

New Child and Elder Sponsorship Site in Bethlehem, Palestine

Being a Palestinian over 60 is hard. There are no public social security or health insurance is available. Like all seniors, they need health care now more than ever. The Ajyal organization offers seniors basic health care and a way to enrich their lives through music, drama, and social support activities.

The ‘Great March of Return’ and ‘Breaking the Siege’ protests continued on Friday. At least 34 Palestinians were injured by live bullets and many others by rubber-coated rounds when Israeli forces attacked thousands of protesters taking part in the weekly Great March of Return at Gaza-Israel border. Tensions were particularly high due to the killing, on Thursday by Israeli forces, of Mahmoud al-Adham who was trying to prevent youths approaching the fence.

Lord, we continue to pray for the safety of the protestors who courageously demand to have the right of refugees to go home implemented. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer  

Another school year is over, ending months of many achievements and challenges. Graduates of the sixth grade ended their years at Rawdat El-Zuhur and are ready for a new beginning of higher level of schooling. They are equipped with skills and knowledge to meet the new demands of high school and they carry with them a unique experience filled with memories of their time at Rawdat El-Zuhur.  We have no doubt that the basis they had at the school will pave their way for further growth and personality building...  

Raeda Jasser
School Principal

Abla Nasir
President

On June 16, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a sign that reads, “Trump Heights.”  The sign sits at the site of an Israeli settlement in the Golan, which Israel occupied—along with the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the Sinai Peninsula—during the 1967 War.  Israel claimed sovereignty over the Golan in 1981 in defiance of international law, and in March of this year, President Trump recognized Israel’s claim of annexation of that land.

Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan, and blockade of Gaza, remain firmly in place, despite UN resolutions calling on Israel to withdraw from territories it occupied in the 1967 War.

The ‘Great March of Return’ and ‘Breaking the Siege’ protests continued on Friday. Reports state that 95 people were injured by Israeli forces, including 33 children, 1 journalist, and 4 women, one of whom was a volunteer medic. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has documented that Israeli soldiers have killed 207 Palestinians, including 44 children, 2 women and 9 Palestinians with special needs, in addition to 4 medics and 2 journalists, since March 30th, 2018. According to Protocol 1 of the Geneva Convention, it is illegal to target civilians, which Israel has been doing since the outset of the demonstrations.

Lord, we continue to pray for the people of Gaza as they raise their voices in protest. May your will be done so that all the people of this land may come to enjoy the fruits of a just peace. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On April 30, 2019, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) introduced House Resolution 2407, the "Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act," a bill prohibiting U.S. taxpayer funding for the military detention of children in any country, including Israel.

The UCC and the Disciples have supported this bill, based on resolutions adopted at General Synod and General Assembly, respectively, in 2017.

On Friday, 28 June 2019, in excessive use of force against peaceful protesters on the 64th   Friday of the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege, Israeli forces wounded 128 Palestinian civilians, including 38 children, 3 women, 7 paramedics, and a journalist. Four of those wounded sustained serious wounds.

Lord, we continue to pray for the people of Gaza as they raise their voices in protest. May your will be done so that all the people of this land may come to enjoy the fruits of a just peace. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

In a special consultation hosted by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and Bright Stars of Bethlehem, convened in cooperation with the National Council of Churches (NCC), World Council of Churches (WCC), and the Diyar Consortium, and building on previous engagement, US and Palestinian Christians addressed the current context in Israel/Palestine, the US-sponsored economic workshop in Bahrain, and the elements necessary to reach a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians.  

Building on previous gatherings  at the Carter Center in Atlanta, in Washington, DC and in Houston, this week’s meeting reflected on developments that have contributed to rising tensions, exacerbated deadlock, and rendered an agreement based on international law, conventions, and UN resolutions more remote than ever, and affirmed that a just peace can only be based on equality and rights for all, with the participation of, and ultimate agreement by, all parties.

At least 13 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces as they took part in the Great March of Return on Friday, the 21st of June. The forces used live bullets and rubber coated steel ammunition when they shot protestors.

Lord we pray for those who were injured in protests in Gaza this week. We pray for the lifting of the blockade on Gaza and for the return of the Palestinians to their homeland. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.

“What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your
God?” – Micah 6:8

Two years ago, we, the heads of the Churches of Jerusalem, issued a statement of deep concern about breaches of the Status Quo that governs the Holy Sites and the rights and privileges of the Churches. Violations attempted to restrict the ability of the Churches to deal freely with our properties; including the underhanded dealings of radical groups one of which succeeded in being awarded the District Court of Jerusalem ruling in favor of them seeking to seize properties belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church in the heart of the Christian Quarter in and around Jaffa Gate.