YWCA of Palestine: Easter Message 2024
“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been removed from the tomb.” (John 20:1)
As we approach Easter this year, Palestinians continue to suffer the injustice of the longest Israeli occupation in the history of mankind.
Easter this year will mark the start of the 26th week of Israel’s assault on Gaza. The statistics are staggering: over 32,000 dead, 1.8 million displaced, one-half million on the brink of starvation. Israel has massacred, maimed, starved, tortured and humiliated the Palestinians of Gaza.
And While the world’s attention has focused on Gaza, in the West Bank murder at the hands of settlers and the Israel occupation army, house demolitions, travel restrictions, ethnic cleansing and illegal Israeli settlement building are growing at an unprecedented rate.
Palestinian Christians are still denied or only have limited access to the holy sites where they have been celebrating Christ’s resurrection for more than 2,000 years, but they continue to follow the path of the cross despite the apartheid wall, the restrictions, and the closures.
The YWCA of Palestine is committed to building a better future for Palestinian women, youth, and children. We strive to create a democratic society that promotes justice and equal rights for all. Yet we are challenged every day to fulfill our commitment amid the ongoing conflict.
Mary Magdalene’s task, as the first witness to the Resurrection, was to tell others. We call on you to be a voice for Palestinians where ever you are in the world, so that united we go to the place of pain and suffering and even death and find that the stone of oppression and occupation has been removed.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, our savior, is a reminder that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. During these dark times, we continue to keep hope alive for a just peace and a brighter tomorrow.
Christ is risen; he is risen, indeed!
Happy Easter from our YWCA family to yours!