 |  | March 6th News Bulletin Here’s what’s upcoming and what you may have missed at CMEP and in the news. |
| | 1. U.S.-Israeli strikes continue across Iran; Iranian drones hit Azerbaijan NPR News "The war with Iran continued to widen Thursday as Azerbaijan, a key U.S. ally, said drones launched from Iran hit an airport in its Nakhchivan region, while U.S. and Israeli forces struck more targets inside Iran. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said it demanded an explanation after the drones crashed into the airport's main terminal building and another landed near a school, injuring two civilians". |
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| 2. Inside the Trump administration’s scramble to support its own war Politico "The State Department is adding resources to evacuate stranded Americans in the Middle East, and the Pentagon is scrambling to increase the number of U.S. troops gathering intelligence for operations — the latest indications that the Trump administration was not fully prepared for the broader war it is now facing". |
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| 3. Hundreds of drones target Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE amid Iran war Al Jazeera "Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday it has fired 230 drones at several facilities hosting US troops in the Middle East, including a base in Erbil in northern Iraq and the Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. The IRGC said the attacks were among its “first powerful steps” in the war, despite Iran having attacked Gulf Arab states for days since Israel and the United States launched their coordinated offensive on Saturday". |
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| 4. What we know about the strike on a school in Iran as the death toll rises NBC News "Three airstrikes had hit Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab in southern Iran, killing 168 people, according to the town’s mayor. Many of them were children. One of them was her son. “By the time we arrived, the entire school had collapsed on top of the children,” the mother told NBC News. “People were pulling out children’s arms and legs. People were pulling out severed heads". |
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| 5. Israel orders Lebanese to leave swathe of the south 'immediately' Reuters "Israel warned residents to immediately leave a swathe of south Lebanon on Wednesday, ordering them to move north of the Litani River on the third day of full-blown hostilities with the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. Lebanon has emerged as a theatre in the war that has engulfed the region since the United States and Israel attacked Iran". |
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| 6. UK, France send warships, air defence assets to Cyprus after drone attack Al Jazeera "The United Kingdom is deploying a warship and helicopters to Cyprus, the British government has said, as global concern continues to mount over the fallout from deadly US-Israel attacks on Iran and retaliatory Iranian strikes across the region. The UK’s Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that it was sending the HMS Dragon to the eastern Mediterranean along with two Wildcat helicopters “to bolster drone defence for our Cypriot partners”. |
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| | 7. Airstrikes hit Iran-Iraq border as US and Israeli plan to mobilise Kurds gathers pace The Guardian "Intense waves of airstrikes have hit dozens of military positions, frontier posts and police stations along northern parts of Iran’s border with Iraq in what appears to be preparation by US and Israel for a new front in their war. A US official with knowledge of the discussions between Washington and Kurdish officials said the US was ready to provide air support if Kurdish fighters crossed the border from northern Iraq". |
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| 8. ‘We’ll run out of food this week’: Israel’s Iran war brings new Gaza siege The Guardian "Israel closed all crossings into Gaza indefinitely when it attacked Iran, imposing a siege that has already pushed up food prices and threatens to plunge 2 million people into a new hunger crisis. After more than two years of war, and with Israeli forces in control of about 60% of the territory, almost all of Gaza’s food must be brought in". |
| | 9. Rights group reports 50 settler attacks on Palestinians during 1st four days of Iran war Times of Israel "During the first four days of the ongoing Iran war, 50 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians were reported across the West Bank, according to Yesh Din, an organization that works to safeguard Palestinian right in in the West Bank. The incidents took place from Saturday to Tuesday in 37 Palestinian communities and included fatal shootings, physical assaults, damage to property and threats." |
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| | May 5-7: Joint Christian Advocacy Summit 2026
Location Announced: Shiloh Baptist Church: 1500 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001 Join CMEP and a broad coalition of co-sponsors May 5-7, 2026 as we converge in Washington, DC for a Joint Christian Advocacy Summit for the Middle East. Centered on the theme “Do Right; Seek Justice (Is. 1:17): Christians Uniting Against Oppression in Palestine/Israel,” this gathering will equip and mobilize Christian advocates from across the country in support of U.S. policies that uphold dignity, human rights, and lasting security for all who call the region home. Attendees will learn from experts, gain advocacy skills, and have the opportunity to meet with their congressional offices to call for a just peace in the Holy Land. |
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| February 28, 2026: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Issues Statement on Israeli-US Attacks on Iran Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) condemns in the strongest terms the military strikes carried out on Iran by the U.S. and Israel. We urge all parties toward immediate de-escalation to avoid catastrophic loss of life, expanded violence, and war. This is an unnecessary war that will have profound and destabilizing consequences for the entire region and for all who inhabit it. The Middle East has endured decades of armed conflict, occupation, displacement, and political upheaval. Another large-scale war will not bring security or peace; it will deepen instability and compound the suffering of civilians who have already borne far too much. |
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| March 6, 2026: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Statement on Israel’s Planned Invasion of Lebanon Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is gravely concerned by Israel’s planned ground invasion of Lebanon and the escalating regional war that continues to engulf the Middle East. The ongoing expansion of the U.S.–Israeli war on Iran has set the region on fire. Nowhere is this more evident than in Lebanon. Reports that Israeli troops are amassing at the Lebanese border raise the grave likelihood of a ground invasion. Such an invasion would have catastrophic consequences for a country that has already endured economic collapse, political paralysis, and the trauma of repeated wars. It would not bring peace or security to the people of Lebanon or Israel. Instead, it would entrench political division, fuel radicalization, and result in devastating civilian casualties. |
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| March 02, 2026: Palestinian Child Detention: A Lenten Christian Reflection During this season of Lent, it is important that we look inward at our personal and communal shortcomings and commit ourselves to upholding the values exemplified by Jesus' 40 days in the desert. With so many problems in the world, it can be tempting to retreat from reality, overlooking injustice in exchange for comfort. Now more than ever, we must follow Jesus' example in our rejection of this temptation. While hundreds of Palestinian children are held in Israeli detention without charges or trial, we cannot remain silent. We are compelled by Christian teachings to fight these injustices through action and advocacy, and defend the dignity of all people.
This article was published by CMEP AWCF Rubin McClain. |
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| March 04, 2026: Shalom in a Shattered Land: A Biblical Vision for Peace in the Holy Land For decades, the prevailing narrative in the west has been that of a Holy Land eternally engulfed in conflict, the centerpiece of a hopelessly inflamed Middle East. Some even claim that the violence we see today was preordained in the Bible. Yet it is important that we examine both the scripture and historical context more carefully. While some interpret the story of Isaac and Ishmael as an explaination for today's conflict, a closer inspection of God's blessing of both sons of Abraham reveal God's wish for peace among their descendents. Similarly, the current conflict is not the only precendent in the region, as Jews, Christians, and Muslims have co-existed peacefully for centuries at a time. In such alarming times, we must remember there will always be an alternative to violence.
This article was written by CMEP Executive Director Mae Elise Cannon. |
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| Still Active: ACTION ALERT "Block the Bombs Act" On May 21st, 2025, House Resolution 3565 was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives, also known as the "Block the Bombs Act." The resolution calls for a limit on the sale of bombs, ammunition (including white phosphorus), and ammunition manufacturing capability. The act comes as Israel has strengthened its assault on Gaza and the West Bank, with an estimated death toll since October 7th, 2023 standing at 54,000 Palestinian men, women, and children. Congress needs to pressure the Trump Administration to protect Palestinian civilians through the passage of HRes. 3565. Your voice can push your representative to support this vital resolution and limit offensive weapon capabilities of Israel, protecting Gazan civilians from relentless bombs. Contact your representative and urge them to support the initiative. This is Action Alert is still on going and currently has gathered support from 61 Co-Sponsors! |
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| Thursday Weekly News Briefing
Please join us on Zoom for a weekly briefing on current news regarding the Hamas and Israel War. Hear from CMEP Staff and other experts and ask questions at the end. Every Thursday from 10:30-11:15 am Eastern. |
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| | Support CMEP’s Work for Peace
If you value the programs and advocacy efforts highlighted in the bulletin, we invite you to partner with us. Your generosity makes it possible for CMEP to continue hosting events, leading education initiatives, and amplifying voices for justice and peace in the Middle East. If you would like to support CMEP in expanding this important work, please consider making a donation today. Thank you for standing with us. |
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| CMEP Presents a Lenten of Lament and Hope dedicated to Palestinian Children Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is pleased to offer this 2026 Lenten Devotional series as a sacred companion for the journey from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week. Available as a downloadable PDF for a suggested donation, this collection is designed for individual reflection or use within church communities. This Lent, we are invited to slow down, to listen, and to open our hearts. Each devotion is centered on a piece of artwork created by Palestinian children living in the Holy Land. These images speak with honesty, longing, and hope. The works of art are paired with prayerful reflections written by CMEP, guiding us to contemplate suffering and resilience, lament and love, repentance and renewal. As we walk the way of the cross, these devotions call us into deeper solidarity, inviting us to see the Holy Land through the eyes of its children and to encounter Christ anew in places of pain and perseverance. May this Lenten journey draw us closer to God, to one another, and to the work of justice, peace, and compassion in the world. |
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| March 05, 2026: From Condemnation to Consequnces Churches for Middle East Peace is happy to co-sponsor the World Council of Churches' "From Condemnation to Consequences" campaign. This new project, running through the end of March, demands legally grounded consequnces for Israel's persistent violations of international law. As war with Iran further obscures the situation on the ground in the occupied Palestinian territory, this campaign provides webinars, factsheets, and calls to action to empower participants to help challenge the system of impunity that has allowed the continued violations of international law. |
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| | | | March 18, 2026: Inter-Faith Iftar and Art Gallery Auction Join CMEP Senior Director of Advocacy & Government Relations, Kyle Cristofalo, at the Jerusalem Fund's first-ever interfaith Iftar on March 18, 2026. The Iftar will feature remarks from Kyle Cristofalo and Imam Yahya Hendi of Georgetown University. The evening is planned as a civic and educational gathering in solidarity with Palestinian families who are trying to observe Ramadan under conditions of siege, occupation, and displacement. It will also feature auctioning artwork by Zahi Khamis, a Palestinian Christian artist from Nazareth. The event starts at 6:30PM. |
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| March 24, 2026: Who is My Neighbor? How Christians Can Challenge Islamophobia and Advocate for Just Peace in Times of Fear In times of heightened fear, polarization, and violence here at home and around the world, Christian communities are called to reflect deeply on what it means to love our neighbors (Matthew 22:39). On March 24th, join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and the Shoulder to Shoulder Campaign (S2S) for a critical conversation exploring the links between challenging Islamophobia in our churches and communities and advocating for a just peace in both the United States and the Middle East. This online session features scholar-practitioners Rev. Dr. Anna Piela, Rev. Dr. Michael Woolf, and Dr. Jordan Denari Duffner, each of whom bring expertise in Christian-Muslim relations and community advocacy, as well as familiarity with Israel/Palestine peacebuilding efforts. Together, we will consider how church communities can faithfully and impactfully build bridges and foster solidarity with our neighbors.
This event will take place via Zoom from 2pm-3:15pm. |
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| April 20, 2026: Combatants for Peace and The Parents Circle-Families Forum Joint Memorial Day Ceremony Churches for Middle East Peace is proud to co-sponsor the Joint Memorial Day Ceremony of the Combatants for Peace and The Parents Circle-Families Forum. Seeking to transform sorrow into collective resolve, this event has brought together Israelis and Palestinians for more than two decades. Even after two and a half years of continued suffering and violence, this year's ceremony will demonstrate that even in times of strife, solidarity is not only possible, but imperative. |
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| May 5-7: Joint Christian Advocacy Summit 2026
Location Announced: Shiloh Baptist Church: 1500 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001 Join CMEP and a broad coalition of co-sponsors May 5-7, 2026 as we converge in Washington, DC for a Joint Christian Advocacy Summit for the Middle East. Centered on the theme “Do Right; Seek Justice (Is. 1:17): Christians Uniting Against Oppression in Palestine/Israel,” this gathering will equip and mobilize Christian advocates from across the country in support of U.S. policies that uphold dignity, human rights, and lasting security for all who call the region home. Attendees will learn from experts, gain advocacy skills, and have the opportunity to meet with their congressional offices to call for a just peace in the Holy Land. |
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| Spring 2026 Solidarity Pilgrimage + Christ at the Checkpoint May 22 - May 31 Join Churches for Middle East Peace as we journey to Israel/Palestine in May 2026 for a solidarity pilgrimage. This trip will highlight the spiritual significance of the land, the role of local Christians in shaping the region’s past and present, and opportunities to meet with religious, academic, and non-profit leaders working toward peace and justice in the land. Alongside visits to sacred sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and beyond, the itinerary includes participation in the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference, offering an opportunity to hear from Palestinian Christian leaders and global advocates committed to justice, reconciliation, and nonviolence. |
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| | | 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 |
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