| | CMEP Weekly Bulletin: The Holy See at the Side of Middle Eastern Christians A look at division in Israel, Nagorno-Karabakh updates, 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: Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti opens the symposium. (Vatican News) | | | The Holy See at the side of Middle Eastern Christians Vatican News “As representatives of the Catholic Churches in the Middle East gather in Cyprus, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches apologises for the role the western Church has historically played in undermining Christians in the region, and pledges the Holy See’s support.” | | | | | |  | Image: Armenians march on eve of massacre anniversary. (Time) | | | Don’t Just Remember the Armenian Genocide. Prevent It From Happening Again Time “Every year on April 24 we mark the 1915 Armenian genocide, in which up to 1.5 million Armenians perished at the hands of the Ottomans. But this year, we should also reflect on the present day, for Armenians are again facing a new set of atrocities as the world watches on with indifference.” | | | | | |  | Image: The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has been urged to resist pressure to adopt a controversial definition of antisemitism. (Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images) | | | UN urged to reject antisemitism definition over ‘misuse’ to shield Israel The Guardian “More than 100 Israeli and international civil society organisations have asked the United Nations to reject a controversial definition of antisemitism because it is being ‘misused’ to protect Israel from legitimate criticism. The groups have written to the UN secretary general, António Guterres, saying he should resist pressure from Israel to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) ‘working definition of antisemitism.’" | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Faces from Palestine: Fellowship, Narratives, and Advocacy. Please join Churches for Middle East Peace and St. Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church (Potomac, MD - in person only) on Sunday, April 30th at 1pm for this unique opportunity to connect with Palestinian and American Christians in the D.C. area that are working for peace and justice in Palestine and Israel. The event will provide opportunities to hear stories from Palestinian Americans and learn about opportunities to engage in advocacy from CMEP staff. A light, traditional Middle Eastern lunch will be served at the start of the event. | | | | |  | Meet "Stand with Iraqi Christians" - Churches for Middle East Peace (CEMP), The Episcopal Church, and Stand With Iraqi Christians (SWIC) host two leaders of the Anglican Church in Iraq while they are in the United States. The Rev. Canon Faiz Basheer Jerjes, MBE, and Sinan Hanna Karakash will speak on contemporary challenges for Christians in Iraq and their ministries with Internally Displaced People and refugees (respectively) in response to ISIS's 2014 invasion and destruction. Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, CMEP Executive Director, will facilitate the conversation. Please join us on Zoom at 2:30pm (EST) on May 10th, 2023. | | | | |  | Fast and Pray for Tent of Nations: Join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and Daoud Nassar on May 12th at 12:30pm (ET) to pray together for 30 minutes over the upcoming court hearing regarding the farm's reregistration. The hearing will be on May 15th. Please consider fasting in a way suitable for you on Friday, as we intercede and pray fervently for justice for the Nassar family. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Support CMEP: Our work to protect the most vulnerable in the Holy Land continues during this time of crisis. Giving to CMEP allows our Middle East staff to work with Christians on the ground in the region. | | | | | | | | | | CMEP is seeking a Development Intern to support the Development Portfolio of CMEP, including conducting funder research, contacting donors, administrative support for grants, maintaining our donor database, producing data reports, meeting project-based needs as they arise, and offering day-to-day administrative support. | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: Entrepreneur Uzy Zwebner stands in front of electric candles placed by Israelis who lost their loved ones in Israel's wars (Corinna Kern/Reuters) | | | Israel marks 75th anniversary amid doubt and division Reuters “Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary this week in a fractious and uncertain mood, overshadowed by a battle over the judiciary that has opened up some of the deepest social divisions since the foundation of the country in 1948.” | | | | | |  | Image: This screengrab shows abandoned footwear and other belongings lie on the ground after a stampede in Sanaa, Yemen, on April 19. (Al Masirah TV/Reuters) | | | ‘People sacrificed their lives for just 10 dollars’: At least 78 killed in Yemen crowd surge
CNN “Dozens of people were killed in a crowd surge in Yemen’s capital on Wednesday (April 19) as needy residents in the war-torn nation flocked to receive charity handouts from local merchants during the holy month of Ramadan, officials have confirmed.” | | | | | |  | Image: Israeli-Palestinian violence has surged this year, with frequent military raids and violence by Israeli settlers amid a spate of Palestinian attacks (Majdi Mohammed/AP) | | | Man shot dead in Jerusalem after ramming car into civilians Al Jazeera “A Palestinian man has driven his car into a crowd on a Jerusalem street, injuring five people before being shot dead by a passerby, Israeli police said. Hours earlier on Monday (April 24), Israeli troops killed a Palestinian during a raid in the occupied West Bank, the latest in a long series of incidents during an upsurge in violence over the past year.” | | | | | |  | Image: A Palestinian boy waves Palestinian flags as he attends a rally marking Al-Quds Day on April 14, 2023. (Ahmed Zakot / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images) | | | Israel is throwing a 75th birthday party. Palestinians have little to celebrate. The Nation “The coming month witnesses two very different, albeit intimately linked, 75th anniversaries. This May, Palestinians will solemnly commemorate the Nakba, the catastrophe that befell their society and precipitated the establishment of a Jewish state in a country with a two-thirds Arab majority. Meanwhile, this week, Israeli Jews are celebrating the simultaneous creation of their state…” | | | | | | | | | | 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)
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