 |  | January 26th Update Bulletin Here’s what’s upcoming and what you may have missed at CMEP. | | | | A delegation from Churches for Middle East Peace Visits the MECC General Secretariat in Beirut CMEP's recent executive leaders' peace delegation to the Middle East met with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) General Secretariat in Beirut, Lebanon with Secretary General Dr. Michael Abs in the presence of His Beatitude Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholic Church of Cilicia, and President of the Middle East Council of Churches for the Catholic Family. Other leaders at the gathering included two of the four ordained women in Lebabanon in addition to Christian NGO leaders and academics. | | | | | |  | Image: Protesters in Tel Aviv lift placards during a rally for supporters and relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
(Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images) | | | CIA chief to meet Qatari PM and heads of Mossad, Egyptian intel for hostage talks Axios “CIA director Bill Burns will meet with the head of Israel's Mossad, the Egyptian intelligence chief and the Qatari prime minister in Europe in the coming days to discuss efforts to reach a deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, U.S. officials tell Axios. Why it matters: A senior Israeli official said the meeting is crucial to the efforts to reach a breakthrough in the talks over a new deal that would include a two-month pause in return for the release of all hostages held by Hamas.” | | | | | |  | Image: President Joan Donoghue speaks at the International Court of Justice prior to the verdict announcement in the genocide case against Israel, brought by South Africa, in The Hague on Friday.
(Remko De Waal/ANP/AFP via Getty Images) | | | A top U.N. court says Gaza genocide is 'plausible,' but does not order cease-fire "The International Court of Justice has found it is 'plausible' that Israel has committed acts that violate the Genocide Convention. In a provisional order delivered by President Joan Donoghue, the court said Israel must ensure 'with immediate effect' that its forces not commit any of the acts prohibited by the convention." | | | | | | | |  | Image: Palestinian medics treat a girl wounded in the Israeli bombardment of a building at a vocational training center that displaced people use as a shelter in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Jan. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub) | | | President Biden is known for his empathy. I pray it will extend to Palestinians. Written by Julie Schumacher Cohen,a member of the Catholic Advisory Council of CMEP America Magazine "President Biden is known for his genuine concern for grieving families. Like so many of us, he has shared the agony of families of the Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas during their brutal attack on Oct. 7. But as the days and weeks have worn on and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, ostensibly aimed at destroying Hamas, has wrought catastrophic devastation on the Palestinian civilian population, we have heard Mr. Biden express little empathy toward Palestinians. This omission has moral, as well as strategic, implications." | | | | | | | | | |  | Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage: As Christians enter into the season of Lent, before the celebration of Easter, we are inviting anyone who wants to be involved in this prayerful, nonviolent pilgrimage that will be the length of Gaza – 41km, or 25 miles. | | | | | |  | Join Us in Washington, DC as we mark Four Decades of Pursuing Peace at our annual Advocacy Summit from April 9-11, 2024. Spend time looking back at CMEP's 40 year history while hearing how CMEP will continue its work to advocate for peace and justice for all in the Middle East. You will also have a chance to advocate directly with your Congressional offices. | | | | |  | Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon will moderate a panel with Nivine Sandouka, Executive Director of Our Rights, an NGO focusing on Palestinian women's rights in Jerusalem and Netta Leovy, co-Director of the UNSCR 1325 Project at Women Lawyers for Social Justice. Together they will discuss the importance of feminist thought in peace-building, and answer the question: Why must the peace-movement focus on, and highlight women as leaders and change makers? | | | | | | |  | Better Citizens, Better World: Courageous Small Steps To Faithful Civic Discipleship while following Jesus. Politics often divide more than they unite. In our increasingly polarized nation, the overlap between the Christian faith and civic engagement seems to get thinner and thinner. Stepping in any direction seems incapacitating, perhaps threatening and mostly overwhelming. Join us in D.C. February 2-3 for these important conversations. | | | | | | | | What you may have missed this week: | | | |  | And Still We Rise Podcast: Listen to Episode 2 of the ASWR Uniting Women for Change Podcast! Episode 2 features Dr. Nancy Fowler, an expert of grief, and a Palestinian yoga instructor, Eilda Zaghmout as they discuss how the liberation of the body and soul are connected to the struggle for Palestinian liberation. You can listen to the podcast on YouTube or Spotify. | | | | |  | Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2024: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) just finished hosting a week of prayer alongside Christians from around the world, focusing on Luke 10:27- "You shall love the Lord your God ... and your neighbor as yourself". If you missed these daily times of prayer led by Christian Leaders from across the US and the Middle East, you can rewatch them all now on CMEP’s YouTube channel. | | | | | | | | | | | | Be a part of the change and join the team of peacemakers advocating for holistic justice and changing US policy by donating to CMEP. Donate Today. | | | | Contact Us Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
110 Maryland Ave NE, Suite 505
Washington, District of Columbia 20002
(202) 543-1222 info@cmep.org | | | | | | | |
