 |  | March 20th News Bulletin Here’s what’s upcoming and what you may have missed at CMEP and in the news. |
| | 1. At least 200 American troops wounded in Iran war, US military says The Guardian "As of Monday, 13 service members have been killed in the US war with Iran. Six crew members died last week when a US military refuelling plane crashed in western Iraq. Six US service personnel were killed when an Iranian drone struck an operations centre at a civilian port in Kuwait and a seventh US service member died after being wounded in an attack on the Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia". |
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| 2. Israeli air raids devastate southern Lebanon, dozens killed in two days Al Jazeera "Israeli air raids have killed at least four people in southern Lebanon as dozens were reported killed across the war-battered country over the past two days, on this punishing front of the wider conflict launched by the United States and Israel against Iran that has embroiled the Middle East. Two people were killed in an Israeli air strike on a house on the outskirts of Adloun on Thursday, about 17km (11 miles) south of Sidon, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported". |
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| 3. Christians in Southern Lebanon Debate Staying or Leaving Christianity Today "Since March 2, Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in a full-scale conflict—their second in less than two years—as part of the wider Middle East war between the US, Israel, and Iran. In Lebanon, the fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, but in the country’s south, many Christians are choosing to stay in their homes despite intense ground fighting, airstrikes, and evacuation orders". |
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| 4. 'My mother cried out one last time': Palestinian boy, 12, describes how Israeli forces killed his family in car BBC News "In the few moments of silence after the shootings, before he was dragged from the family car, 12-year-old Khaled Bani Odeh thought he was the only member of his family left alive. Seconds before, his parents and two youngest brothers had been shot dead through the windscreen by Israeli forces, as they drove home after a family shopping trip in the occupied West Bank". |
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| 5. Palestinian man in the West Bank says he was sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers CNN News "Dozens of masked Israeli settlers stormed into Qusai Abu al-Kebash’s small village last weekend in the middle of the night. They grabbed Abu al-Kebash, bound him by his hands and legs and stripped him. He says they then zip-tied his genitals and paraded him through his community while beating him. Israeli settlers have increasingly used violence against Palestinians in a bid to drive them from their homes in the occupied West Bank. But sexual assault appears to be a new weapon in these settlers’ arsenal of intimidation, pointing to a troubling new level of violence". |
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| 6. First Iranian attack to kill Palestinians hits West Bank, three women dead Reuters "Three Palestinian women were killed in an Iranian missile attack in the occupied West Bank late on Wednesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, in the first deadly Iranian strike there, and the first to kill Palestinians, since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The missile struck a hair salon in the town of Beit Awwa, southwest of Hebron, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency WAFA reported. Thirteen were wounded, one of them seriously". |
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| 7. Oil and gas prices jump after Iran and Israel attack gasfields The Guardian "Gas prices jumped to four-year highs and oil prices rose again after an escalation of attacks by Israel and Iran on gasfields heightened fears of prolonged disruption to international energy supplies. QatarEnergy told Reuters on Thursday that Iran had damaged facilities that produced 17% of the state-owned company’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity and that it would take three to five years to repair them". |
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| 8. Pentagon seeks $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, AP source says AP News "The Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, a sizable amount that is certain to be met with questions from Congress, which would need to approve any new money. The department sent the request to the White House, according to a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private information. Asked about the figure at a press conference Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not directly confirm the amount, saying it could change". |
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| | 9. Strikes kill high-level Iranian officials in another blow to country's leadership PBS "Iranian officials confirmed today that Ali Larijani was killed by an Israeli airstrike that also killed a second top security official. Larijani had been a fixture of Iran's regime for decades and had essentially led Iran since the killing of its supreme leader at the start of the war". |
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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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| March 17, 2026: 60+ National Ecumenical Organizations Urge Congress To Oppose Iran War Funding CMEP is proud to have joined dozens of other faith-based organizations in signing a letter to Congress urging opposition to additional funding for the war on Iran. Grounded in our commitment to peace, we reject further investment in a dangerous and unauthorized conflict that puts countless lives at risk. Instead, we call on Congress to prioritize diplomacy, humanitarian assistance, and policies that uphold human dignity and pursue a just and lasting peace. |
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| March 19, 2026: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Statement on Intensifying Violence in the West Bank Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is gravely alarmed by the rapidly escalating violence in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli state-sponsored violence and settler attacks against Palestinian communities are spiraling out of control. As international attention has shifted to the expanding regional war following Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran, extremist settlers have taken advantage of the global distraction to intensify terror against Palestinian civilians. |
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| March 11, 2026: Walls, Borders, and the People in Between: Human Stories from Israel and Palestine Through the recent years of extreme violence in the area, it has become difficult to believe that there could ever be peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Yet at one point in the not so distant past, these groups were able to live together in relative peace. Through walls, checkpoints, and rigid borders constructed in the 2000s, the situation deteriorated and hostility exploded on both sides. Though it may feel impossible, we must remember that the only path to lasting peace is through respect for human rights, equality, and self-determination.
This article was written by CMEP Executive Director Mae Elise Cannon. |
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| March 18, 2026: The Church's Witness: When Theology Harms or Heals in Israel and Palestine Central to modern debates over Zionism, both Christian and Jewish, is the scripture. While Christian Zionists have interpreted sections of the Bible as encouraging of Zionism, there is ample evidence that the actions of the State of Israel are absolutely not sanctioned by God. Passages that describe Jews living alongside others in the Holy Land and Christ's emphasis on love and justice suggest that the suffering caused by the war in Gaza and Israel's actions in the occupied territory go against the word of God. Rather than supporting the displacement of one group for another, we must reject these divisions.
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 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 1, 2026: 'A Time for Peace' Interfaith Prayer Vigil Join original signatories, including CMEP executive director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, and supporters of the A Time for Peace statement on April 1st at noon ET to pray for peace and justice across the Middle East. As the statement proclaims, now is the time for religious leaders everywhere to take meaningful, constructive steps toward lasting peace and to extinguish the flames of enmity and hatred. Learn more and register. |
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| April 03, 2026: Freedom of Movement and Checkpoints in the Occupied West Bank with Dalia Qumsieh Join CMEP for a webinar on April 3rd at 11 AM EST examining the issue of freedom of movement and checkpoints in the Occupied West Bank; an urgent and often overlooked reality shaping daily life for Palestinians. We are honored to be joined by Dalia Qumsieh, human rights lawyer and Founder and Director of the Balasan Initiative for Human Rights. Together, we will explore how Israeli checkpoints and movement restrictions sever Palestinian livelihoods, cutting off access to healthcare, education, work, and family life, and isolating entire communities into fragmented enclaves. |
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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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| | | 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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