April 5th News Bulletin

Image: Christians walk in the Palm Sunday procession on the Mount of Olives in east Jerusalem, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israel’s war on Gaza and occupation policies are quietly erasing Christian culture and presence this holy season

Written by CMEP Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon and CMEP Ambassador Warren Clark Fellow Dr. Ben Norquist, Baptist News

“While all eyes are on Gaza, Israel’s occupation policies continue to quietly erase the presence and identity of ancient Christian communities of the Holy Land. Israeli policies limit the ability of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to access ancient holy sites in Jerusalem that represent the foundation of Christian religious traditions. The cruelty of these Israeli policies exacerbates the suffering of an already traumatized community, many of whom have lost family in Gaza, where more than 32,000 people including at least 13,000 children have been killed.”

Image: Palestinian children search amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Rafah  (ANSA)

Pope Francis: Let‘s all say ‘Enough!’ Stop the war in the Middle East

Vatican News

"‘Every day, in my heart, I carry the pain and suffering of the populations in Palestine and Israel due to the ongoing hostilities,’ said Pope Francis on Sunday in yet another heartfelt appeal for a ceasefire in Gaza. And expressing  grief for ‘the thousands of dead, the wounded, the displaced, the immense destruction that wreaks pain and suffering on the small and defenseless who see their future compromised.’ Pope Francis called on all men and women of goodwill to raise their cry for peace."

Image: South Africa has long suffered in its own history for self-determination and equality under the racist system of apartheid. Now, may the world learn the lessons of history from the pain and cost of the struggle through leaders like South Africa's Foreign Minister Pandor. She warns, "The longer the struggle for freedom, the more violent the struggle will be.”

South Africa and Palestine: “We have shared a common struggle for freedom and justice and self-determination”

“Mid-March, CMEP’s Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon had the great privilege of being hosted for an event to speak at a panel at the Embassy of South Africa in Washington D.C. alongside the South African Minister of International Relations, Naledi Pandor. She has been a courageous voice crying out for justice for Palestinians. Minister Pandor said, ‘We have shared a common struggle for freedom and justice and self-determination with Palestinians, and the relationship between post-apartheid South Africa and Palestine is very strong because of this common history. Palestinians stood alongside South Africans during their own struggle for independence. They were there for us in our own international struggle for justice, and we will stand in solidarity with them.’"

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Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
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