 |  | June 21st News Bulletin Here’s what’s upcoming and what you may have missed at CMEP and in the news. | | | |  | Image: Israeli army bulldozers are seen near the Gaza Strip border, in southern Israel, Thursday, June 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) | | | Israel's Netanyahu blames Biden for withholding weapons. US officials say that's not the whole story. ABC News "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday (June 18) claimed the United States is withholding weapons and implied this was slowing Israel's offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where fighting has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation for Palestinians." | | | | | | | |  | Image: Israeli soldiers near the border with Gaza on Tuesday.
(Amir Levy / Getty Images) | | | Can Israel defeat Hamas? Its own military doesn’t seem to think so, clashing with Netanyahu NBC News “And on Wednesday (June 19), the Israel Defense Forces' top spokesman seemed to lay bare the rift at the top of the country's leadership. The central stated goal of the war in Gaza — to destroy Hamas — was not possible, and to maintain it was meant 'throwing sand in the eyes of the public,' Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said. 'Hamas is an idea. Anyone who thinks we can eliminate Hamas is wrong,' Hagari said in an interview with Israeli broadcaster Channel 13." | | | | | | | |  | Image: Benjamin Netanyahu had faced demands from far-right ministers to join the war cabinet (EPA) | | | Israeli PM scraps war cabinet after key departures BBC News “It said sensitive decisions would be addressed in a 'smaller consultation forum', which was expected to include Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and the chairman of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, Aryeh Deri. The three men were in the war cabinet along with the prime minister, Mr Gantz and Mr Eisenkot.” | | | | | | | | | | June 21, 2024: CMEP affirms The Episcopal Church statement on Layan Nasir and detained Palestinians. The Episcopal Church is one of the founding members of CMEP’s 30-plus member communions committed to pursuing an end to the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. As the war on Gaza continues, we must not ignore the ongoing pressures Palestinians continue to face in other parts of the occupied Palestinian territories. CMEP stands with The Episcopal Church in advocating for the release of Layan Nasir, the Palestinian Christian woman who continues to be held unjustly in Israeli prison. We also call for an immediate end to the war on Gaza and for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, full humanitarian access, and the release of all hostages. | | | What should Catholics think about Gaza, Israel and Palestine? Catholic social teaching has answers. In the face of these infringements on human life and dignity—which amount to war crimes on the part of both Israel and Hamas—Catholic leaders have, for months, been calling for an immediate and permanent cease-fire, the release of hostages, and robust humanitarian aid to Gaza. This call has been voiced by Pope Francis, major Catholic orders and institutions, and the swath of American Catholic leaders and laypeople who signed our open letter. | | | | | |  | Join a group of Churches for Middle East Peace's Regional Coordinators as they venture to Israel/Palestine in November 2024. This trip will highlight the spiritual significance of the Holy Land, the role local Christians play in the landscape of the region, meetings with religious and non-profit leaders in the region, and in-depth analysis and engagement with the current realities on the ground. This trip also includes attending CMEP's And Still We Rise Summit in Jericho. Join us this November 9-18th, 2024. Registration Extended! For more information or questions about this trip, please email ana@cmep.org. | | | | |  | Cross and Crescent: How Can Evangelicals and Muslims Connect During this Crisis in the Middle East? June 27, 2 - 3:15 EST Given the conflation of Muslims and the Middle East in the American imagination, times of crisis in the Middle East further complicate relations. This webinar features a discussion between an American Evangelical, a Palestinian Evangelical, and a Lebanese-American Muslim, reflecting together on the challenges and opportunities for inter-religious cooperation in pursuit of understanding and peace. | | | | |  | CMEP Special Briefing: Reflections from May 2024 Travel in Palestine, Israel, and Jordan: Join Churches for Middle East Peace staff and board members for a special briefing on their May 2024 travels across Palestine, Israel, and Jordan, including the 2024 Christ at the Checkpoint (CATC) conference in Bethlehem. Our panelists will share their major takeaways from their travels and time in the Middle East, update constituents about how CMEP is continuing to show solidarity with our Palestinian Christian siblings, and reflect on the vital role the church must play in calling for peace in the Holy Land. | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: The Palestine Red Crescent Society | | | Relief groups build first Gaza shelter for people with disabilities Al Jazeera “The Palestine Red Crescent Society is working with the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee and the Gaza-based Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children to build a shelter in Deir el-Balah to accommodate people with disabilities. At the beginning of the war, there were approximately 50,000 people with disabilities in Gaza." | | | | | | | |  | Image: Israelis protest near the Knesset in Jerusalem, Monday.
(Eloisa Lopez/ Reuters) | | | Tens of Thousands of Israelis Launch Week of Protests Against Government: 'We Won't Give Up' Haaretz “The clashes came after tens of thousands of Israeli protesters converged on Jerusalem on Monday (June 17), eight months after the start of the war and a year and a half since the unveiling of the Netanyahu-led government's judicial coup. The demonstrations called for new elections, a cease-fire and hostage release deal, and against the contentious ultra-Orthodox draft exemption law as well as the newly proposed law against 'incitement' in academia.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: A woman and child walk among debris in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, June 9, 2024, aftermath of Israeli strikes at the area, where Israeli hostages were rescued, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. (OSV News photo/Abed Khaled, Reuters) | | | What should Catholics think about Gaza, Israel and Palestine? Catholic social teaching has answers. Written by Catholic Advisory Council members, Julie Schumacher Cohen and Jordan Denari Duffner America Magazine "We are U.S. Catholics with strong ties to the Holy Land. Over the last several months, we have watched in sadness and horror the surge in violence in Israel-Palestine. One of us has Jewish Israeli family and initially came to Middle East peacebuilding work after a college semester in East Jerusalem, where she studied with a Palestinian Catholic professor and volunteered in the West Bank. The other of us focuses on Muslim-Christian relations and traveled to Israel-Palestine while living in the neighboring country of Jordan, where she came to know those in the Palestinian refugee community there, including Catholics." | | | | | |  | Image: Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon at the Q&A after the heartfelt sermon | | | CMEP in Delaware: CMEP executive director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon and CMEP’ new advocacy intern Chris Huth traveled to Wilmington, Delaware to deliver a powerful Sunday sermon at the Westminster Presbyterian Church followed by a Q&A discussion about why Christians should advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza. At the following lunch, longtime CMEP community member Mike Abel was honored with CMEP’s 2024 James Maxstadt Distinguished Volunteer award for her numerous contributions including work in getting her Congresswoman to support prior legislation on the treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military prisons. | | | | | | | | | | | | 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 | | | | | | | |
