Tag: Gaza

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Immediate Actions & Upcoming Events for Ceasefire in Gaza

Mark your calendars for upcoming events and actions — meanwhile, keep the pressure on your elected officials by phone, email, letter, and fax.

“Almost 2,000,000 people in Gaza have been thrown out of their homes… 70% of the housing units in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed,” said Senator Bernie Sanders in a recently shared video. “Only 25% of what the people of Gaza need to survive is currently making it through the border checkpoints.”

Our tax dollars are funding this humanitarian disaster. Join us in pressuring our representatives to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, that vital humanitarian aid be delivered to the people of Gaza, and that the United States stop arming Israel’s occupation:

Upcoming Events

Every Thursday | Churches for Middle East Peace Weekly Briefing

Register to attend weekly briefings, which take places on Thursdays from 10 to 10:30 a.m. ET. Hear current news in Palestine and Israel and participate in a Q&A.

Register to attend the weekly briefing on February 1.

February 3 | From Turtle Island to Kashmir to Palestine, Settler Colonialism is a Crime

10:30 a.m. ET / 7:30 a.m. PT

Register Here

February 4 | Virtual Discussion with Rev. Munther Isaac: Confronting Christian Zionism and Empowering Advocates for Palestinian Liberation

Learn how to combat Christians Zionism and empower people of faith to advocate for Palestinian liberation. This will be an insightful discussion, shedding light on the intersection of religion and social justice.

Sunday, February 4
8:30 p.m. Jerusalem / 1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. PT

Register Here

February 14 | Jewish Day of Advocacy for Peace (JVP Seattle)

Join Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Seattle and participating groups from around the state for a Jewish-led advocacy day at the State Capitol in Olympia, WA. Participate in a training and then meet with elected officials in support of “the freedom and collective safety of Jewish and Palestinian communities locally and globally.”

Wednesday, February 14
All day, with options to participate remotely.

Learn more & register!

February 15 | Mass Mobilization Call: Christians Against Genocide

This is a call to action to our Christian siblings to use your public voice and collective power to advocate for justice, challenge Christian Zionism, and demand an immediate ceasefire.

Thursday, February 15
8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
Learn more & sign up!

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January Actions for Ceasefire in Gaza

January 12 & 13 | Emergency Summit for Gaza

In-person in Chicago or on Zoom, join communities of faith on January 12 & 13 for an Emergency Summit for Gaza, a two-day event that includes speakers, discussions, prayer, and collective action. The summit is sponsored by the Rainbow Push Coalition, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), Red Letter Christians, Jewish Voice for Peace, If Not Now, the Arab American Institute, Faith for Black Lives, the Muslim Civic Coalition, the U.S. Palestinian Council, Sojourners, and others. Tickets are free, but registration is required!

See a full agenda & register >

January 13 | March on Washington for Gaza

Christians calling for a ceasefire in Gaza will meet in Washington, D.C. ahead of the national March on Washington for Gaza on January 13. Gather with CMEP, FOSNA, and other Christian voices for Palestine at 12:30 p.m. at the National Museum of American History on Madison Drive NW between 12th Street and 14th Street NW. The march begins at 1 p.m.

Learn more >

January 13 | Candlelight Prayer Vigil for a Ceasefire

Join Christian leaders in prayer for a ceasefire and demilitarization in Israel and Palestine. The vigil will take place at 4 p.m. ET at The Ellipse (south of the White House), 15th St & Constitution Ave NW, south of the chainlink fence. You can also livestream the event with Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). Learn more, register, & find the link to the YouTube channel where the event will be livestreamed at CMEP.org.

January 14 | Ceasefire Prayer Service

Live from Jerusalem, join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and Bethlehem Bible College for this streaming of a live prayer gathering in Jerusalem on Sunday morning. The event will take place at 12:30 a.m. PT.

Learn more & register >

January 19 & 20 | Shabbat for Ceasefire

“In this time of crisis, join Jews (and friends!) in the ceasefire movement to lift up our hearts in rage, grief, hope and connection.”

Shabbat for Ceasefire, which will also be livestreamed, is co-sponsored by Rabbis for Ceasefire, Kol Tzedek Synagogue, Hineinu Baltimore, Tikkun Olam Chavurah, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Jews for Racial & Economic Justice.

Learn more & register >

January 26 | National Day of Action

On January 26, several organizations including Jewish Voice for Peace and U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) are holding a National Day of Action and encouraging communities across the country to plan local activities.

Learn more >

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Palestinian Episcopal priest and Sabeel founder writes open letter to Biden: “A Prophetic Vision for Justice”

Image: fosna.org

On December 28, Reverend Dr. Canon Naim Stifan Ateek published an open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden outlining what he calls “a prophetic vision for justice.” His vision is “rooted in the spirit of United Nations Security Council resolution 242” and “based on the formula of land for peace for the two peoples that must live together on the land.”

Rev. Dr. Naim Ateek is the founder of Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem.

“Mr. President, let us imagine together the future and let us take bold steps and concrete actions that will actually transform our words into a just peace for all.”

Rev. Dr. Ateek outlines his vision in the letter, in chronological detail. It begins with a permanent ceasefire, recognition of Palestine as a United Nations member state, and a “conclusive end” to Israel’s occupation. He places responsibility for the rebuilding of Gaza with the U.K., U.S., and Israel: “Justice requires that they be found liable and held accountable.” He invites collaboration with the governments and peoples of Ireland and South Africa, and emphasizes the means to establish a sovereign and viable Palestinian state.

“The Palestinians bear no responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust,” he writes. “But the Palestinian people must now be prepared to live in peace with their Israeli Jewish neighbors. Both peoples may help one another heal from the wounds of the Holocaust, the pain and suffering of the Nakba, and the horrors of the current catastrophe.”

“It was our beloved Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the International Patron of Sabeel, who said, ‘We are prisoners of Hope.’ And so, it is with much hope and anticipation that you will join me in seeing this vision become a reality, one that requires bold actions and a passion for justice, and only justice!”

Take Action

We encourage you to read Rev. Dr. Ateek’s full letter here. You may endorse the letter as an individual or as part of an organization, and easily share the letter with your representatives in the U.S. by filling out this brief form.

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“Life in Palestine in This Time of War” with Fr. Fadi Diab and Dean Thomason at St. Mark’s Cathedral

On Sunday, December 10, Dean Thomason at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle was joined virtually by Father Fadi Diab, rector of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Ramallah. Father Diab provided updates from the Christian community in Ramallah.

“We’re very much, psychologically, devastated,” he said. “The community we serve [is] also overwhelmed with the pain that mainly comes from Gaza, but also from places that the Israeli army invades in the West Bank.”

St. Andrews is providing stress-relief and trauma-response training and programs for teachers and community members, and shelter and sustenance for community members who’ve been displaced from homes and jobs. Demolition of Palestinian homes, he said, is happening quickly.

Fr. Diab also discussed the harms of propaganda in the West, far-right political power in Israel, and increased settler violence in the West Bank, armed and encouraged by Israel’s government.

“I don’t dare to drive on these roads, because you don’t know when the settlers will attack,” said Fr. Diab. And from the side of Israel’s police: “Any call for a ceasefire puts you in danger of being arrested.”

Take Action

  • Read more updates and donate at afedj.org — the American Friends of Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
  • Write to friends and Christian siblings in Palestine, who feel isolated and alone.
  • If you live in the U.S., pressure your elected representatives to call for an immediate ceasefire.

“We are called to save lives,” said Fr. Diab. “It is your role as Americans to reach out to your leaders, and convince them that this is not acceptable, this is morally indefensible, and we need a ceasefire and end to this conflict forever.”

Listen to a recording of the full conversation between Dean Thomason and Father Diab here.

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International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes in Palestine

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Demonstrators outside the International Criminal Court call for the Israeli army to be prosecuted for war crimes, The Hague, Nov 2019. (photo: Peter de Jong / AP)

There is sufficient evidence to investigate alleged Israeli and Palestinian war crimes committed in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, the court has announced.

By Peter Beaumont | The Guardian | Dec 20, 2019

‘In brief, I am satisfied that war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.’
— Fatou Bensouda, ICC Chief Prosecutor

In a landmark decision, the ICC said it saw “no substantial reasons to believe that an investigation would not serve the interests of justice.”

The announcement ended years of preliminary investigations into alleged crimes by both Israeli forces and Palestinians, and signaled that the court was preparing to open a formal investigation.

A statement published by the court’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, on the court’s website on Friday said her office “has concluded with the determination that all the statutory criteria under the Rome statute for the opening of an investigation have been met.”
Continue reading “International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes in Palestine”

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No one in Israel knew they were committing a massacre

Palestinians mourn over the bodies of members of the same family who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, Nov 14, 2019. (photo: AFP / Haaretz)

The Israel Defense Forces claims the target was an “unoccupied shack.”

By Gideon Levy | Haaretz | Nov 17, 2019

‘Why did they do this to us?’
— Mohammed Matar, who had worked in Israel for 30 years, and whose daughter, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren were killed in the bombing

The bomber pilot didn’t know. His commanders who gave him the orders also didn’t know. The defense minister and the commander in chief didn’t know. Nor did the commander of the air force. The intelligence officers who aimed at the target didn’t know. The army spokesman who lied without a qualm also didn’t know.

None of our heroes knew. The ones who always know everything suddenly didn’t know. The ones who can track down the son of a wanted man in a Damascus suburb didn’t know that sleeping inside their miserable hovel in Dir al-Balah was an impoverished family.

They, who serve in the most moral army and the most advanced intelligence services in the world, didn’t know that the flimsy tin shack had long since stopped being part of the “Islamic Jihad infrastructure,” and it’s doubtful that it ever was. They didn’t know and they didn’t bother to check — after all, what’s the worst that could happen?
Continue reading “No one in Israel knew they were committing a massacre”

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Gaza hospitals overwhelmed by wounded in violence

A Palestinian receives medical attention in a hospital after being injured during a protest at the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel, east of Gaza City, Sep 14, 2018. (photo: Felipe Dana / Associated Press)

Doctors Without Borders says that thousands are in danger of infection and disability because Gaza hospitals cannot adequately treat them.

By Associate Press Staff | The Washington Post | Nov 29, 2018

Israeli snipers have killed about 170 people and wounded thousands.

A medical aid group says the vast number of patients treated for gunshot wounds from months of violent border protests have overwhelmed Gaza’s health care system.

Doctors Without Borders says that thousands are in danger of infection and disability because Gaza hospitals cannot adequately treat them.

Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers have been organizing weekly border protests since March in which demonstrators approach the border fence, throwing firebombs at Israeli troops and burning tires.

Continue reading “Gaza hospitals overwhelmed by wounded in violence”

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Israeli defense officials: Gaza will collapse without an alternative to UNRWA

Palestinian men collect aid food at a United Nations compound in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on Sep 1, 2018. (photo: AFP)

Israeli delegation to upcoming conference expected to encourage donor countries to help guarantee continued delivery of food, education services and salaries.

By Yaniv Kubovich | Haaretz | Sep 9, 2018

The Israel Defense Forces warned . . . that if the UN agency’s Gaza operations cease without a workable alternative being found, an escalation in violence is nearly inevitable.

Israeli defense officials agreed in a meeting last week that the government must develop an alternative to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in the Gaza Strip in order to head off a humanitarian disaster in light of the US commitment to defunding the agency.

An Israeli delegation to a donor conference in New York later this month is expected to encourage donor countries to pitch in to guarantee the continued delivery of food, education services and the salaries of the UN’s 30,000 employees in the Strip. Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rukun, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, is one of several Israeli defense officials who are scheduled to attend.

In earlier meetings ideas for projects were put forward that Israel wanted to promote, mainly in the realm of infrastructure, but now Israel will now seek ways of funding more basic needs.

Continue reading “Israeli defense officials: Gaza will collapse without an alternative to UNRWA”

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UN Secretary General proposes armed peacekeeping force to protect Palestinians in Gaza

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference , Jun 21, 2018. (photo: Yuri Kadobnov / AFP)

Armed international mission among options floated by Guterres in response to General Assembly request for report on Gaza border clashes.

By Staff | The Times of Israel | Aug 18, 2018

 

“The targeting of civilians, particularly children, is unacceptable,” Guterres said in the report, adding that “those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law must be held accountable.”
— UN Secretary General Antonia Guterres

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday presented four options aimed at boosting the protection of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, from sending UN rights monitors and unarmed observers to deploying a military or police force under UN mandate.

The proposals were contained in a report requested by the General Assembly in response to a surge of violence in Gaza, where 171 Palestinians have been killed during Hamas-led clashes with Israeli troops since late March. Dozens of the dead were members of Hamas and other terror groups, Hamas has acknowledged.

The UN chief stressed that for each of the options, cooperation by Israel and the Palestinians would be necessary. It remained unlikely however that Israel would agree to the proposals . . . .

Continue reading “UN Secretary General proposes armed peacekeeping force to protect Palestinians in Gaza”

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