 |  | May 30th News Bulletin Here’s what’s upcoming and what you may have missed at CMEP and in the news. | | | | 1. Chaos erupts on first day of US-backed aid distribution in Gaza after weeks of hunger CNN “Chaos broke out at an aid distribution site in Gaza run by a controversial US-backed group on Tuesday as thousands of desperate Palestinians rushed to receive food supplies, with Israeli troops firing warning shots into the air and the US contractors overseeing the site briefly withdrawing. An 11-week Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid has pushed the enclave’s population of more than 2 million Palestinians towards famine and into a deepening humanitarian crisis, with the first resumption of humanitarian aid trickling into the besieged enclave last week.” | | | | | | 2. Gaza warehouse broken into by 'hordes of hungry people', says WFP BBC "The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) says that "hordes of hungry people" have broken into a food supply warehouse in central Gaza. Two people are reported to have died and several others injured in the incident, the programme said, adding that it was still confirming details. Footage showed thousands of people breaking into the Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al-Balah and taking bags of flour and cartons of food as gunshots rang out. It was not immediately clear where the gunshots came from or who fired them." | | | | | | 3. Israel announces new West Bank settlements despite sanctions threat Reuters “Israel's government has approved 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, its finance minister said on Thursday, a move condemned by Israeli human rights groups that may strain ties with key allies that have threatened sanctions. Bezalel Smotrich, an ultra-nationalist in the ruling right-wing coalition who has long advocated for Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, wrote on X that the settlements would be located in the northern West Bank, without specifying exactly where.” | | | | | | 4. Germany's tone with Israel is getting harsher Deutsche Welle "Never before had Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed himself so clearly on the situation in the war in Gaza. "What the Israeli army is now doing in the Gaza Strip, I frankly no longer understand with what goal," Merz said at the Re:publica digital conference in Berlin on Monday. Merz added that in his view, a line had been crossed and international humanitarian law had been breached. To cause such suffering to the civilian population "can no longer be justified as a fight against Hamas terrorism," he said." | | | | | | | | | | May 30, 2025: ACTION ALERT "Letters for Gaza" Join Churches for Middle East Peace "Letters for Gaza" action alert. "Letters for Gaza" is a U.S. coalition-led campaign mobilizing thousands of citizens nationwide to urge their members of Congress to support full, unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza and an immediate halt to the bombardment of civilians. Members of Congress have the power to pressure the Trump Administration to use all diplomatic tools to lift the blockade and push for a permanent ceasefire. YOU have the power to influence your representatives and urge them to stand firm. Handwritten letters move members of Congress in ways that other forms of advocacy don’t. That's why we're asking you to take one simple but powerful action: Write one handwritten letter to your member of Congress — and ask a friend to do the same. | | | | | | Beyond Horizons: Racing for Liberation Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, Executive Director of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), is embarking on a bold journey of endurance and advocacy. As part of Beyond Horizons: Racing for Liberation, she is training for and competing in a series of triathlons to raise support for CMEP’s vital mission of pursuing peace, justice, and liberation in the Middle East. On May 25, 2025, Rev. Dr. Cannon participated in a Half Ironman Triathlon (70.3 miles). Each segment of the race is dedicated to a cause close to her heart: 1.2 miles swimming for the people of Gaza, who continue to suffer without adequate access to food, water, and humanitarian assistance. 56 miles biking in remembrance of all who have lost loved ones—including those killed in the October 7 attacks and the over 50,000 Palestinians who have died in Gaza since. 13.1 miles running for the hope that peace might prevail—not just for Palestinians and Israelis, but also for Lebanese, Syrians, and others across the region who long for an end to violence and oppression. This race was just the beginning. As she prepares to complete a full Ironman Triathlon (140.6 miles), Rev. Dr. Cannon is seeking to raise $1,000 per mile—a total of $140,600—to support CMEP’s work of advocacy, education, and elevating Middle Eastern voices We invite you to donate $70.30—just $1 for every mile of last weeks race—to stand with Rev. Dr. Cannon and support the transformative work of CMEP. Your gift will not only encourage Rev. Dr. Cannon through this physical and spiritual challenge but will also directly support CMEP’s mission to bring peace and justice to a region that so desperately needs it. | | | | | | CMEP’s executive director, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, facilitated a panel on Interfaith Engagement at the Freedom of Religion Conference on the Preservation of Armenian Religious, Cultural, and Historical Heritage in Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh on May 27, 2025, in Bern, Switzerland. The Protestant Church of Switzerland and the World Council of Churches (WCC) co-hosted the gathering, which brought together approximately 100 global leaders, primarily from Christian faith traditions. The purpose of the conference was to conclude with a unified commitment by reviewing, finalizing, and adopting the final statement—a collaborative declaration outlining the key outcomes, concerns, and recommended actions to safeguard Armenian religious, cultural, and historical heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). His Holiness, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, H.H. Karekin II; Rev. Rita Famos, President of the Protestant Churches of Switzerland; Rev. Dr. Jerry Pillay, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC); and His Excellency Archbishop Dr. Vicken Aykazian, CMEP board member, Ecumenical Director of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, and Central Committee Vice-Moderator of the World Council of Churches, attended as hosts and key leaders of the gathering. | | | | | | From CMEP's Own: Catholic Guilt and Gaza- Reckoning with the legacies of both the Holocaust and the Nakba "Last year, I was part of a group of American Catholics who organized a letter advocating for more just U.S. policies on Israel-Palestine and a Gaza ceasefire. It was signed by over six thousand Catholics. But many more, in the wake of the brutal October 7 attack by Hamas and the ensuing indiscriminate Israeli military assault on Gaza, have refrained from engaging. This has left a void in the American Catholic response." This piece was written by Julie Schumacher Cohen, a member of the Catholic Advisory Council of Churches for Middle East Peace. | | | | | | | | Women's Voice for Gaza: A Palestinian Christian Call for Justice and Life Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), CMEP's 'And Still We Rise' Women's Empowerment Initiative, and women around the world invite you to endorse this statement and share it widely to amplify Palestinian women's voices in this critical moment. Your support helps ensure that our call for justice reaches communities worldwide who can act to end the starvation of Gaza. | | | | | | | | May 30 2025: Humanitarian Snapshot 12 "The Edge of Erasure" Nearly three months into Israel’s total siege on Gaza, humanitarian conditions have deteriorated beyond crisis levels. A recent survey of NGOs found widespread obstruction of aid, with two-thirds unable to reach communities in need and one-third reporting staff killed or injured. In the West Bank, escalating settler violence and military restrictions have made nearly half of aid delivery efforts impossible, deepening an already catastrophic, man-made crisis. | | | | | | | | | | | | CMEP Catholic Advisory Council Spring Mini-Course: May 14, 28, and June 11 Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), in collaboration with its Catholic Advisory Council, is excited to invite you to a special three-part Spring Mini-Course series taking place on May 14, May 28, and June 11. This event, hosted on Zoom, will explore how Catholic and Christian communities in the Holy Land are responding to the profound challenges of life under occupation and ongoing conflict. Together, we’ll examine key areas where faith-based institutions are providing critical support, including health care, education, and the defense of human rights and religious freedom. These conversations will highlight stories of resilience, compassion, and advocacy from those working on the front lines of humanitarian and justice efforts. We look forward to having you join us for these powerful and timely sessions. | | | | | | Solidarity Sunday On Sunday, June 8th, Churches for Middle East Peace and its 35 member denominations and communions call upon congregations in the U.S. and worldwide to pray for peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East as part of Solidarity Sunday. In mid-May, CMEP will provide resources to shape Sunday prayers, worship, liturgy, and other aspects of Solidarity Sunday services, including videos from voices in the region. Resources will be ecumenically and politically diverse, allowing each community to shape their Solidarity Sunday around their own traditions and commitments. This day of prayerful solidarity and calls for justice comes as we observe the arrival of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday. | | | | | | June 12, 2025: Join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and Reconsider for a Special Film Screening: There Is Another Way There is Another Way tells the story of a group of visionaries who refuse to surrender to violence and injustice, and in doing so show that another path is possible - for them, for us, and for all humanity. As we are all faced with essential questions about who we are, will we choose collective liberation, where the needs, rights, and safety of all are prioritized, in which our humanity comes first, knowing that no one is free until everyone is free. | | | | | | Church at the Crossroads September 11-13 Join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and faithful witnesses from across the country for Church at the Crossroads, a national gathering of Christians who recognize that the church stands at a defining moment–Jesus is urgently calling us back to the narrow way of the cross. As violence escalates in Israel and Palestine, and some in the Church use Scripture to justify war, occupation, or silence, we must ask: Have we traded the gospel of peace for the false promises of security and comfort?
Rooted in Scripture and led by Palestinian Christian leaders, including CMEP executive director, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon—alongside pastors and peacemakers from across North America—this conference invites American Christians to engage in honest reckoning, prophetic reflection, and faithful action. Through worship, prayer, teaching, and fellowship, we are called to repentance, renewal, and courageous discipleship. This is a space to confront harmful theologies, rediscover the gospel of the Kingdom, and stand with all who seek justice in the land. | | | | | | | | 5. Israel attacks Yemen’s Sanaa airport; Houthis say won’t deter Gaza support Al-Jazeera "Israel says it has launched air strikes on Yemen’s main airport in the capital, Sanaa, a day after Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired two projectiles towards Israel. The Houthi-affiliated news outlet Al Masirah TV reported on Wednesday that four strikes hit the runway. Khaled al-Shaief, general director of Sanaa International Airport, wrote on X that the strike had completely destroyed the last of the civilian planes that Yemenia Airways was operating from the airport. According to aviation data checked by Al Jazeera, the Yemenia plane was scheduled to take those performing the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia." | | | | | | 6. US raises flag in Damascus: New envoy signals shift in US–Syria relations post-Assad - analysis The Jerusalem Post “The new US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, attended a flag-raising ceremony to inaugurate the US ambassador’s residence in Damascus yesterday. The ceremony was important because it shows how the US and Syria are quickly working to improve relations after more than a decade in which there was no US ambassador in Damascus. Since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, relations between Syria and the US became frayed and basically ended in 2012. Now, a new era is dawning as the Trump administration makes overtures to the leadership in Damascus." | | | | | | 7. EU removes most sanctions on Syria but slaps new ones on alleged culprits of attacks on Alawites Euro News "The European Union has lifted a wide range of sanctions on Syria but slapped new ones on people and groups it says participated in attacks on civilians during a wave of violence in the coastal region in March. The move removed most sanctions that had been imposed on the country, including on its financial system. But sanctions remain in place on individuals and organisations the EU says violated human rights or for "security grounds." That includes the extended family of former President Bashar al-Assad or the country's chemical weapons programme, according to the text of the European Council on the decision." | | | | | | 8. Armenia and Azerbaijan: Getting the Peace Agreement across the Finish Line International Crisis Group "Almost two years after a lightning offensive restored Azerbaijani control of Nagorno-Karabakh, prompting more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee the enclave, a peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku could be in sight. Armenia and Azerbaijan announced in March that they have completed the text of such an agreement. The question is whether they will sign it. Azerbaijan says it will not do so until the Armenian constitution changes to omit language that it sees as a claim on internationally recognised Azerbaijani territory. Armenia’s leaders accuse Azerbaijan of using the issue as a pretext to sabotage the peace agreement; while they are working to change the constitution (which they say they are doing of their own accord) the process will not draw to a close for at least another year." | | | | | | | | May 27th God's Earth, Not Ours to Own: Undoing Possession through Christian Hope On May 27, CMEP was joined by a distinguished panel of guests, including Dr. Willie James Jennings, Mark Charles, and Dr. Ben Norquist to discuss how land is tied to justice and ultimately, peace. This robust discussion, moderated by Destiny Magnett, challenged us to carefully examine our faith and untangle it from the web of colonial ideals that have seeped in. Our time together ended with a reminder that hope isn't a feeling but a discipline, based on following God and the life of Jesus. | | | | | | May 28 2025: CMEP CAC Spring Mini-Course Part 2: Building for a Peaceful Future: The State of Education
On May 28th 2025 CMEP's Catholic Advisory Council (CAC) was honored to host Br. Cerna and Sami El-Yousef for Part 2 of our new CMEP CAC Spring Mini-Course titled "Building for a Peaceful Future: The State of Education". During this webinar the state of schools and education in Gaza and the West Bank were discussed. Particular attention was given to Christian institutions that have been destroyed in Gaza and are under constant threat in the West Bank. | | | | | | | | 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 | | | | | | | |
