| | CMEP Weekly Bulletin: Experts Laud US Recognition of Jordanian Responsibility for Temple Mount A look at violence during mourning, demolitions, 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: People gather around the Dome of the Rock, in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City October 28, 2021. (Reuters/ Ammar Awad) | | | Experts laud US recognition of Jordanian responsibility for Temple Mount Jerusalem Post “US President Joe Biden told Jordan’s King Abdullah that his administration supports Jordanian custodianship over Islamic holy places in Jerusalem. ‘The President affirmed his strong support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and cited the need to preserve the historic status quo at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. The president also recognized the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s crucial role as the custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem,” according to a readout of Friday’s (May 13) meeting between the two leaders in Washington issued by the White House.” Read CMEP’s Press Release on a recent roundtable discussion CMEP had the privilege of convening, in partnership with the Jordanian Embassy in the U.S., between His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan and distinguished ecumenical American Christian leaders. | | | | | | | |  | Image: Israeli police kick and beat pallbearers at the funeral of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Aqla in occupied East Jerusalem (13 May 2022). (Reuters) | | | Shireen Abu Aqla: Christian leaders condemn violence at reporter's funeral
BBC “The Vatican's representative in Jerusalem has accused Israel of ‘brutally violating’ a decades-old agreement to uphold religious freedom. It follows Friday's (May 13) attack by Israeli police on the funeral of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Aqla. Officers kicked and beat pallbearers and fired stun grenades into the crowd of mourners at St Joseph Hospital. Monsignor Tomasz Grysa, who represents the Holy See in Jerusalem, said the action was unjustified and unprovoked. Israel's police force said its handling of the funeral was being reviewed and accused religious leaders of making ‘extreme’ statements.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: A child stands among the ruins of a house that was demolished in Al-Mirkez, Masafer Yatta, occupied West Bank, May 11, 2022. (Rachel Shor) | | | Armed with High Court expulsion order, Israel’s bulldozers arrive in Masafer Yatta
+972 Mag “Last week, Israel’s High Court authorized, in neat and polished legal language, the expulsion of over 1,000 Palestinian residents from eight villages in the Masafer Yatta region of the occupied West Bank, following a 22-year legal process over the fate of those living inside ‘Firing Zone 918.’ On Wednesday (May 11), the Israeli army launched its first eviction operation in the area since the ruling, destroying nine homes in two of those villages, leaving 45 Palestinians homeless.” | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Public Statement: May 16, 2022: CMEP Condemns the Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh and Calls on US Government to Investigate Murder of the Palestinian-American Journalist CMEP calls on the United States to ensure a fair and independent investigation into Abu Akleh’s murder and to hold the responsible parties accountable. | | | | |  | Upcoming Webinar Series: Join Churches for Middle East Peace, Embrace the Middle East, and author Colin Chapman as he presents material from his book Christian Zionism and the Restoration of Israel: How Should We Interpret the Scriptures? This 4 part mini-course will run weekly from June 21 to July 12. | | | | |  | PlayForPeace: Please join us in our first ever CMEP virtual fundraising event - we're embracing and continuing our spring theme of "Hope Grows: Seeds planted. Future promise." and asking our supporters to get outdoors and #PlayForPeace. You'll commit to doing something you enjoy outside: hiking, cycling, taking pictures of nature, visiting parks, etc. - and you'll ask your friends, family, and others to donate to CMEP in support of your Play for Peace goal. We'll share photos, thoughts, and prayers for peace on social media as we #PlayForPeace. Learn more, donate, and sign up for your own fundraiser. | | | | | | | | Support CMEP We could not continue to pursue our mission to Educate, Elevate, and Advocate for a just and holistic peace in Israel, Palestine, and the broader Middle East without your support. Consider supporting CMEP today. | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: Thousands of protesters gathered in Brooklyn, New York, with many wearing the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh. (Zainab Iqbal/MEE) | | | Thousands rally across US to mark Nakba amid anger of Shireen Abu Akleh killing
Middle East Eye “Thousands of protesters rallied across the United States on Sunday (May 15) to raise awareness about the Nakba, or catastrophe, in reference to the ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians at the hands of Zionist paramilitaries in 1948. The annual demonstrations are usually a melancholic affair, but demonstrations in New York City and Washington were layered with additional tragedy in the aftermath of the death of Palestinian veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot by Israeli forces last week. In New York, around 2,000 people from all walks of life packed the streets of Bay Ridge, a predominantly Arab neighbourhood in Brooklyn. Protesters gathered in large numbers, draped in keffiyehs, holding a multitude of signs and waving the Palestinian flag.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Screengrab from CNN video. (CNN) | | | Hezbollah's coalition loses parliamentary majority in Lebanon's first vote after uprising, financial collapse
CNN “The Iran-backed political and militant group Hezbollah has lost its parliamentary coalition majority in a Lebanese election that delivered significant gains to its rivals as well as to a protest movement that swept the country in a 2019 uprising, final results showed Tuesday (May 17). Reformist political groups that sprung out of the nationwide demonstrations have won around 10% of the country's parliamentary seats, according to a CNN tally, in a sign of growing discontent with a ruling elite widely blamed for the country's economic collapse. Reformist parties won only one seat in the previous election cycle in 2018.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Rep. Rashida Tlaib, from her Facebook page. | | | Rashida Tlaib introduces historic Nakba resolution
Mondoweiss “Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has introduced a historic resolution recognizing the Palestinian Nakba. ‘As the assassination of Shireen Abu Akleh last week made all too clear, the violence and war crimes are an ongoing and ever-present assault on the existence and humanity of the Palestinian people,’ said the congresswoman in a statement. ‘The Israeli apartheid government’s ongoing ethnic cleansing seeks to degrade Palestinian humanity and break the will of the people to be free. Fortunately, as Palestinians and their allies prove time and time again, we will persist no matter the circumstances until peace, freedom, equity and respect for all people are secured and protected.’” | | | | | | | | 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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