| | CMEP Weekly Bulletin: Israel Surpasses 1,000 Demolitions in the Occupied West Bank Since Joe Biden Took Office A look at demolitions, reactions to violence, and more news in this week’s bulletin. CMEP’s Bulletin is a weekly round-up of news from the Middle East and represents an array of perspectives on the issues we cover. CMEP does not necessarily agree with all the views expressed in the articles, and they do not speak on CMEP’s behalf. | | | |  | Image: Bulldozers demolish a Palestinian house in the West Bank city of Hebron on Dec. 28, 2021. (Mamoun Wazwaz/Xinhua via Getty Images) | | | Israel Surpasses 1,000 demolitions in the Occupied West Bank since Joe Biden took office The Intercept “The rate of Israel’s destruction of Palestinian-owned properties in the occupied West Bank is accelerating at a rapid pace under U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, according to data from the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. This week, the U.N.’s tally of demolitions carried out since Biden’s inauguration eclipsed 1,000.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Illustration by Rick Szuecs. (Source images:Joe Raedle / Staff / Carl Court / Staff / Getty / Frank Mckenna / Unsplash / Wikimedia Commons) | | | Arab Christian scholars: Trade minority mindset for abundant life
Christianity Today “A group of academic Christians in the Middle East has thrown down the gauntlet: The local church, bound in fear to its minority mindset, needs to walk afresh in the Holy Spirit. ‘We must tell the truth and call for freedom,’ said Souraya Bechalany, coauthor of ‘We Choose Abundant Life,’ a document released last September that makes 20 recommendations. ‘We are powerful in Jesus Christ, but too often we don’t believe it.’" | | | | | | | |  | Image: Priests pause on Palm Sunday on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, on Sunday, March 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) | | | Expansion of E. Jerusalem park onto church-owned lands back on municipal body’s agenda
Times of Israel “A project to expand an East Jerusalem national park onto church-owned lands has been put back on the agenda of the municipality, despite assurances that the plan had been withdrawn amid backlash from local Christian leaders. Plan 101-674788, which will extend the borders of the Jerusalem Walls National Park to include a large section of the Mount of Olives, along with additional parts of the Kidron and Ben Hinnom valleys, has returned to the Jerusalem municipality’s Local Planning and Construction Committee website with the session scheduled for August 31.” Read CMEP’s statement on the Mt. of Olives here. | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Lent 2022 Devotional Series:
The theme for this year's Lent Devotional Series is " Lent 2022: Hope Grows: Seeds planted, future promise." The first devotional was sent out on Shrove Tuesday, March 1, 2022. You can find all the other devotionals as they're released on our website or sign up to receive them in your email. | | | | |  | Public Statement: March 1, 2022: CMEP Supports the Statement of Peace and Fraternity from US and European Catholic Bishops in support of the Church and People of Lebanon Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) calls attention to the ongoing economic crisis in Lebanon and recognizes the crisis as one of the greatest economic catastrophes of our time. CMEP lauds the US and European Catholic Bishops for their message and stands with them in their support of the church and the people of Lebanon. | | | | |  | Press Release: March 3, 2022:
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Announces New Outreach Manager and Other Staff
CMEP welcomes several new staff including: Jennifer Maidrand as the Outreach Manager, Rev. Aune M. Carlson as the Director of Operations, and Michael Robinson as the Financial Manager. | | | | | | | | Support CMEP Support the work of our Ambassador Warren Clark Fellows and honor the legacy of a former Executive Director of CMEP. | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: A car drives past a road signal indicating the Allenby Bridge crossing point to Jordan in the Palestinian city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank, 28 January 2021. (AFP) | | | Israel barred more than 10,000 Palestinians from travelling abroad in 2021
Middle East Eye “Israel barred more than 10,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank from travelling abroad in 2021, according to a report by an Israeli rights group. Al-Karameh Bridge, known as Allenby Bridge in Israel, is the only land crossing with Jordan that Palestinians in the West Bank can use to travel abroad. According to HaMoked, an Israeli human rights organisation based in occupied East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities who control the bridge crossing blocked Palestinians from travelling, claiming that they had relatives involved in ‘terrorism’." | | | | | | | |  | Image: US Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman on March 29, 2011. (Jin Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images) | | | What the US is saying about Iranian drone US pledges $5.5m to joint Israel, Palestine businesses
Middle East Monitor “The US will provide funding of $5.5 million to Israeli and Palestinian trade associations to increase cross-border partnerships, reported the Times of Israel. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman announced the grants during her visit to Jerusalem yesterday (March 8). Implemented through the Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA), the aid will aim to ‘build partnerships, increase economic growth, and lay the foundation for peace through people-to-people programs,’ according to a USAID statement." | | | | | | | |  | Image: Iron Dome in action, on May 13, 2021. (Avichai Socher/IDF) | | | US House approves $1 billion for Israel’s Iron Dome after months-long delay
Times of Israel “After months of delay due to internal political disputes, the US House of Representatives on Wednesday (March 9) approved an additional $1 billion in funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. The money will fund interceptor missiles for the system, many of which were used to defend the country during last year’s conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian terror group fired over 4,300 rockets at Israel in the space of 11 days, and Iron Dome reportedly intercepted 90 percent of those heading to populated areas. It was also used in previous rounds of fighting with Gaza." | | | | | | | | CMEP's Bulletin is a weekly round-up of news from the Middle East and represents an array of perspectives on the issues we cover. CMEP does not necessarily agree with all the views expressed in the articles, and they do not speak on CMEP's behalf. | | | | Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
110 Maryland Ave NE, Suite 311 | Washington, District of Columbia 20002
(202) 543-1222 | info@cmep.org | | | | | | | | | |
