Here’s what’s upcoming and what you may have missed at CMEP and in the news.
Middle East News
1. Tensions flare near Strait of Hormuz as a ship is seized and another is sunk.
AP News
"A ship anchored off the United Arab Emirates was seized and taken toward Iran and another — a cargo ship near Oman — sank after being attacked, authorities said Thursday, as tensions escalated near the Strait of Hormuz. It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind these incidents, but they happened as a senior Iranian official reiterated his country’s claim of control over the waterway and another said it had a right to seize oil tankers connected to the U.S".
2. China and U.S. agree Hormuz shouldn't be 'militarized,' Marco Rubio says
NBC News
"President Donald Trump discussed the Iran war and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz during a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News in an interview Thursday, adding that the United States was not asking for Beijing’s help with Iran. "The Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Straits of Hormuz, and they’re not in favor of a tolling system, and that’s our position,” America’s top diplomat said in Beijing after Trump, Xi and their delegations held more than two hours of talks".
3. Amid ceasefire, Israeli forces ramp up destruction of homes in southern Lebanon
NBC News
"The Israeli military has leveled whole areas of towns and villages in southern Lebanon as it presses on with plans to establish control in the area during a Trump-declared ceasefire, satellite imagery, video and photos show. Social media video and photos geolocated to locations in the region show trees coated with ash, blazes raging in fire-blackened buildings and skies filled with dark smoke. Satellite images show whole blocks and neighborhoods flattened".
4. Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon kill 22 people, health ministry says
BBC News
"Twenty-two people including eight children have been killed in Israeli air strikes in southern Lebanon, the country's health ministry says, as the war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah continues despite a ceasefire. Eight people died when drones targeted three vehicles on the coastal highway in the Barja, Jiyeh and Saadiyat areas, around 20km (12 miles) from the capital. Four others were killed in strikes on cars further south, in the city of Sidon and the towns of Maaliyeh, Chaaitiyeh and Naqoura".
5. Gaza risks becoming permanently divided, top official warns
CNN News
"A prolonged stalemate in Gaza risks cementing the territory’s permanent division, a top international official overseeing the ceasefire has warned, as Israel deepens its control over the enclave. Nikolay Mladenov, the official in charge of implementing the US-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza, said failure to advance the agreement would lead to “a dangerous status quo” that would leave two million Palestinians in Gaza without a viable future while entrenching Israel’s long-term presence across more than half of the shattered territory".
6. Several former Hamas hostages in Gaza share accounts of sexual assault
NBC News
"Gilboa-Dalal is among several former hostages, mostly women, speaking publicly about alleged sexual assaults at the hands of the militants in the Gaza Strip. Some in Israel accuse United Nations observers and human rights groups of downplaying the issue. Hamas has denied that its militants committed sexual crimes during or after the attack. There have also been numerous allegations of sexual assault against Palestinians in Israeli detention, including the alleged gang rape in 2024 of a man in the notorious Israeli military prison, Sde Teiman. Five Israeli reservists were charged with aggravated abuse and causing serious bodily harm. They denied the charges, and the case was dropped in March".
7. Israeli MPs back special tribunal with death penalty powers for alleged 7 October attackers
The Guardian
"Israeli lawmakers have approved setting up a livestreamed special tribunal with the power to sentence to death Palestinians convicted of taking part in the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 that triggered the war in Gaza. The measure was passed by 93 votes to none in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel’s parliament, reflecting widespread support among Israel’s Jewish majority for punishing those found responsible for the deadliest single attack in Israel’s history. The remaining 27 lawmakers were absent or abstained from voting".
8. Israeli bulldozers raze about 50 Palestinian shops ahead of settlement-linked road project
AP News
"Israeli bulldozers tore down dozens of Palestinian shops on the edge of a town southeast of Jerusalem this week, clearing land ahead of a settlement-linked road project in the occupied West Bank.Israel says the demolitions are needed to make way for a road serving Palestinian communities. But Palestinian officials say the road is part of a broader plan to keep Palestinian vehicles off a new highway being built to serve nearby Israeli settlements. That project is part of a strategic section of the West Bank known as E1, which Israel is developing with the intention of preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state".
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.
CMEP In the News: Christians rally to support aid for Palestinians, end arm sales to Israel
"Nearly 300 Christian leaders gathered in Washington, D.C., for the three-day Joint Christian Advocacy Summit on May 5. The ecumenical group, including over 40 sponsoring organizations, is seeking an end to American arms sales to Israel and a restoration of funding of humanitarian aid to Palestinians. “Instead of funding war, our faith calls us to feed the hungry, defend the oppressed, and work for just peace. We are here to pressure Congress to enact these values,” Allison Tanner, a Baptist pastor and leader of the summit, said in a press release".
Message from Our Partners: $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon is not a defense budget: It’s a war budget
Written by Scott Paul, director of Peace and Security at Oxfam America, this article discusses how the Pentagon's increased budget goes far beyond what would reasonably be needed for nationla security. Instead, Paul argues that increased military aggression by the United States has benefitted only people and industries close to President Trump, and become more and more oblivious to human rights and international law.
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.
May 15, 2026: 7th Joint Nakba Remembrance Ceremony
The ceremony offers space to acknowledge the Nakba, the mass displacement of over 700,000 Palestinians in 1948, and its ongoing reality. For many, this history remains unspoken; without acknowledgment, there can be no path forward. Organized by Combatants for Peace, the ceremony brings Palestinians and Israelis together in shared remembrance. It is grounded in the belief that listening to one another’s stories and confronting injustice are necessary steps toward healing and reconciliation.
May 19: Bethlehem Comes to Bellevue: An Evening with Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb
Join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), Bright Stars of Bethlehem, and local organizers for an evening with Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb on May 19th in Washington, DC. The Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb is one of the most respected Palestinian theologians in the world, a Christian clergy, and founder and president of Dar al Kalima University in Bethlehem, the only arts university for Palestinians in the West Bank. He will share with us how Palestinian lives continue to be threatened, the tragedy of Gaza, and how the world see the United States as the problem and the solution to the current catastrophes in the Middle East. Come and be moved to action and transformation.
Dear Friends, We here at CMEP, and on behalf of all other co-sponsoring organizations, just wanted to thank you for your participation and support of the Joint Christian Advocacy Summit of May 2026. The summit was a great success with around 300 people joining us from all around the country for the 3-day program culminating in visits to US Congressional Representatives of over half of the US states. We are excited to receive all your feedback about the summit. If you participated, you will be receiving a feedback form to your email shortly. More information and reports on the summit will come out in the future. We hope and pray that your meetings were productive and that we can bring about the change in US foreign policy we want to see. Thank you again for joining us, we are excited to host you next year again!
Contact Us
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) 110 Maryland Ave NE, Suite 505 Washington, District of Columbia 20002 (202) 543-1222 [email protected]
