Global Ministries

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Denounces the Occupation's
Disproportionate Impact on Palestinian Children

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is guided by a strong commitment to respecting the human rights of all in Israel/Palestine, with particular attention to the most vulnerable. We believe for there to be any prospect for a just and lasting peace, all people must be afforded their human rights and provided opportunities to flourish. Under the current Israeli military occupation of Palestinian lands, Palestinians of all ages living in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza live without the same civil rights enjoyed by the Jewish Israeli citizens in both Israel and the Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Palestinian children and youth are among the most vulnerable demographic affected by the realities of the occupation. 

December 2020

“The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.’” (Luke 2: 10-11).

This December, as Christians from across the globe prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christian community in Israel and Palestine continues to suffer due to the ongoing occupation. Despite the continuing conflict, however, the coming of Christ into the world brings a glorious message of hope to all people. This Advent season offers a chance to reflect on how we as Christians can do more to ensure that peace will become a reality in the land where Jesus lived.

On Monday, the 7th of December, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO),unanimously adopted two resolutions concerning Palestine. Steps are to be taken to monitor attacks on the educational and cultural heritage of Palestine, including monitoring Israeli violations at the holy sites of Al-Haram Al-Sharif in Jerusalem and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.

Lord, we are thankful for the commitment of the United Nations to uphold international law and to work for the peaceful solution of the conflict in Israel/ Palestine. We continue to pray for an end to the Israeli occupation and an end to the escalation of the Israeli attacks on the cultural heritage of the Palestinians. Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayers.

In a letter to President-Elect Biden, seventeen US churches and Christian agencies, including the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, outline areas of hopes and concerns regarding the situation in Israel/Palestine, and urge the Biden Administration to take steps to work toward peace and justice.  The letter, sent in the midst of the Advent season, sets the context by stating, "While attention is turned toward the 'little town of Bethlehem,' the Christian community in Israel/Palestine continues to suffer as a result of the ongoing occupation. As Palestinian Christians continue to emigrate, we face the real prospect that the survival of the indigenous Christian presence in the Holy Land may soon be in danger. By ensuring the U.S. government stands firmly in support of peace and justice for all in the region, your administration can help ensure the Christian community, along with all in the Holy Land, can flourish."

On Wednesday, Dec. 9, eleven ecumenical leaders, including the Rev. Teresa Hord Owens and the Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, General Ministers and Presidents of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, respectively, sent a letter to President-Elect Biden and members of Congress urging calm, diplomacy, and peacemaking in the context of recent escalation of tensions with Iran.

On Thursday, Dec. 3, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, along with 34 other national organizations and 9 regional organizations, sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to support H.Con.Res.123, the bipartisan Yemen War Powers Resolution to end unauthorized U.S. military participation in the war on Yemen.  Global Ministries has supported similar Congressional action before.

Dismay at Deaths in the Mediterranean

Rome (NEV), 13th November 2020 – Can people get accustomed to deaths in the Mediterranean?  Can a child aged only a few months lose his life amidst political indifference? Paolo Naso, coordinator of Mediterranean Hope, migrant and refugee programme of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy, [and Global Ministries Board member], is “outraged”. And states: “Coordinated search and rescue (SAR) in the Mediterranean is more urgent than ever.  Read more...

In 2018, the Trump administration announced its decision to cut all US aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). This agency helps administer critical services and resources such as health care, education, and emergency food assistance to Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East including in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. UNRWA’s work is even more important now as COVID-19 greatly exacerbates the difficult conditions that Palestinian refugees endure. Without US funding, UNRWA is unable to execute its important activities that serve millions of Palestinians. Before the $360 million dollars in US funding was cut, it accounted for nearly 30 percent of UNRWA’s budget. Today, while COVID continues to rise throughout the world, UNRWA is left without the funds to pay its November and December salaries for all of its 28,000 staff, including health care workers and teachers. US funding is critical to help relieve the financial crisis UNRWA currently faces and to help provide humanitarian aid to vulnerable Palestinian refugees.

Tell Congress: Restore aid to Palestinian refugees now 

"2000 years ago, HOPE was born in Bethlehem. This hope is still shining and defying all forms of injustices; racism, occupation, poverty, and militarization."

The Commission for Detainees and ex-Detainees has issued a statement about an assault carried out by Israeli prison guards on a Palestinian 17-year-old youth. Hani Irmaslat is from Jenin refugee camp and he was arrested last October and taken to al-Jalama Interrogation Center. When he complained of feeling unwell the prison guards beat him severely and he needed hospital attention for the cuts and wounds to his head. He underwent twenty days of harsh interrogation and was then taken to Megiddo prison.

Lord, we pray for Hani and for his recovery from the cruel treatment at the hands of the Israeli authorities. We pray that Israel will start to abide by its obligations to the UN Conventions and will stop arresting, interrogating and detaining Palestinian minors. Lord, in your mercy... hear our prayers.