| | Not Enough for Israel and Palestine: No One Wins With (Just) a Ceasefire A look at continuing contention, new administration being encouraged in new directions, and more news in this week’s bulletin. Image: Palestinians inspect their destroyed houses following overnight Israeli airstrikes in the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) | | | |  | Image: Palestinians inspect their destroyed houses following overnight Israeli airstrikes in the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip, Friday, May 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) | | | Not enough for Israel and Palestine: No one wins with (just) a ceasefire Christian Citizen “The world paid close attention to the May 2021 hostilities between the Israeli military and Hamas in Gaza and the precursory events of protests on behalf of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, rallying cries for religious freedom to be protected on Haram al-Sharif (the Temple Mount), demonstrations for equal rights for Palestinian citizens of Israel, and other flareups between Israelis and Palestinians. While the May 21 ceasefire between Hamas and the State of Israel was welcomed by many, all concerned parties worry that the end of the recent violence that resulted in more than 200 deaths in Gaza, including more than 60 children; and the deaths of more than a dozen people in Israel, may only be temporary." | | | | | | | |  | Image: An Israeli border policeman scuffles with a Palestinian protester during clashes amid ongoing tension ahead of an upcoming court hearing in an Israeli-Palestinian land-ownership dispute in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem May 3, 2021. (Reuters/Ammar Awad) | | | Clashes in Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah amid continuing tensions
J-Post “Clashes continued in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem between Palestinians and Israeli security forces on Sunday, amid continued tensions surrounding the planned eviction of dozens of Palestinian families from the neighborhood. Palestinian media reported that Palestinians in the neighborhood fired fireworks at Israeli security forces during the clashes in the neighborhood. Reinforcements for Israeli security forces were reportedly sent to the neighborhood to confront the Palestinian rioters.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: The logo of the Christ at the Checkpoint Young Adult Group (Facebook) | | | Palestinian Christians issue historic ‘statement of repentance and hope’
Mondoweiss “On Saturday, June 12, a call titled ‘Statement of Repentance and Hope’ was shared via email and social media to hundreds of Palestinian Christian leaders and clergy. The call states: ‘This statement was written with urgency by Palestinian Christian young adults from all across the land, expressing repentance and hope regarding the ongoing injustices. If you identify with this statement, it is yours to hold as well. We urge all to read and reflect seriously on its call.’ The call was initiated by the Christ at the Checkpoint Young Adult group (which I am a member of) and which is an offshoot of the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference which takes place every two years in Bethlehem. The conference has inspired many young adults to cultivate a Palestinian Christian response to the conflict, colonialism and in particular Christian Zionism." | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | CMEP Journeys: Virtual Events for Your Community: CMEP is pleased to offer private events and experiences for your church, scheduled for a time that works for your community. Whether you want to have a casual evening of experiencing the culture of the Middle East or host an in depth discussion on the religious history of the land, current theological conversations, and the root causes of the recent war in Israel and Palestine. CMEP is eager and willing to support the work you are doing in your community. | | | | |  | CMEP in the News: We’ve been actively working to put CMEP’s message of peace and justice into the world and the last few weeks our work has been featured in multiple publications. Check out where CMEP’s work is appearing. | | | | |  | Public Statement: CMEP Joins Over 100 National Organizations Calling on President Biden to Halt New Weapons Sales to Israel: In opposition to the U.S. government’s plans to sell $735 million in advanced weapons systems and munitions to Israel. The planned arms sales to Israel would send a signal of support for Israel’s recent conduct in occupied Gaza and East Jerusalem, which includes likely violations of international humanitarian law | | | | | | Donate Please help us work for justice & equality by donating. | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: Shortly after taking office, Biden's administration stressed that human rights would be at the core of its foreign policy. (AFP) | | | Politicians, academics and Nobel laureates urge Biden to end Israeli 'oppression'
Middle East Eye “More than 680 global leaders, from politicians and Nobel laureates to leading academics and peace advocates, have called on US President Joe Biden to honour his commitments towards protecting the human rights of Palestinians. In an open letter published earlier this week, the group called on Biden to put ‘human rights at the centre of US foreign policy’ and to ‘help bring an end to Israel's institutionalised domination and oppression of the Palestinian people’. ‘A sustainable and just peace - for all people - will remain elusive if US policy holds to a political status quo devoid of justice and accountability,’ the letter read." | | | | | | | |  | Image: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington in 2015. (Reuters) | | | Most Americans back banning Israel to use US funds to annex land - poll
J-Post “A majority of US voters endorsed restrictions that would keep Israel from spending US defense assistance to detain Palestinian minors, destroy Palestinian buildings, or annex parts of the West Bank, according to the results of a new poll conducted during the most recent Israel-Gaza conflict. The poll, conducted by Data for Progress, a progressive polling firm, sought to capture public opinion on a question that is increasingly dividing Democratic lawmakers: whether US aid to Israel should be withheld if Israel does not meet certain conditions. For many years, that opinion has been considered off-limits for politicians, but that has shifted recently with the rise of a progressive left in the Democratic Party." | | | | | | | |  | Image: Prime Minister-designate Yair Lapid with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the first cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday, June 20, 2021. (Photo: Oren Ben Hakoon) | | | Egyptian mediators: New Israeli government trying to alter equation in Gaza
Israel Hayom “The new Israeli government is trying to use the latest tensions with Gaza as a pretext to impose a precedent ahead of indirect talks with Hamas in Cairo next week, Egyptian sources told Qatar-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Sunday morning, referring to the IDF's recent harsh response to cross-border arson attacks. In the past, Israel's policy was to shell Hamas military positions with tanks in response to such attacks. Overnight Thursday, however, Israeli aircraft bombed Hamas rocket launching sites and other military infrastructure in the coastal enclave – indicating that Israel intends to act more forcefully than before to arson attacks.” | | | | | | | | 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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