 |  | July 4th News Bulletin Here’s what’s upcoming and what you may have missed at CMEP and in the news. | | | | 1. Israel’s Netanyahu to visit Washington next Monday as Trump presses for ceasefire in Gaza PBS News "President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House next Monday, according to a U.S. administration official. The visit comes as the U.S. leader has begun stepping up his push on the Israeli government to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war in Gaza." | | | | | | 2. Trump says Israel has agreed to conditions for 60-day Gaza ceasefire BBC "Israel has agreed to the "necessary conditions" to finalise a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, US President Donald Trump has said. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US would "work with all parties to end the War". He did not give details on the proposed truce.” | | | | | | 3. Over 170 charities call for end to deadly new Gaza aid distribution system Reuters "More than 170 non-governmental organisations called on Tuesday for a U.S.- and Israeli-backed food aid distribution scheme in Gaza to be dismantled over concerns it is putting civilians at risk of death and injury. More than 500 people have been killed in mass shootings near aid distribution centres or transport routes guarded by Israeli forces since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operating in late May, according to medical authorities in Gaza." | | | | | | 4. Gaza: Starvation or Gunfire - This is Not a Humanitarian Response ReliefWeb "200+ NGOs call for immediate action to end the deadly Israeli distribution scheme (including the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) in Gaza, revert to the existing UN-led coordination mechanisms, and lift the Israeli government’s blockade on aid and commercial supplies. The 400 aid distribution points operating during the temporary ceasefire across Gaza have now been replaced by just four military-controlled distribution sites, forcing two million people into overcrowded, militarized zones where they face daily gunfire and mass casualties while trying to access food and are denied other life-saving supplies." | | | | | | | | June 10, 2025: ACTION ALERT "Gaza Humanitarian Aid" On June 4th, 2025, House Resolution 473 was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives calling for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. The resolution calls for the Trump Administration to use the diplomatic tools at its disposal to end the war, resume humanitarian aid, and return Israeli hostages. The resolution comes as Gaza faces imminent famine and collapsing healthcare infrastructure. Congress needs to pressure the Trump Administration to protect Palestinian civilians through the passage of HRes. 473. Your voice can push your representative to support this vital resolution and combat acute malnutrition, chronic food insecurity, and food and medicine shortages. Contact your representative and urge them to support the initiative. | | | | | | | | June 23, 2025: Destiny Magnett Featured in Auburn Theological Seminary Video Destiny Magnett, CMEP's Programs and Outreach Manager, was recently featured in a video by the Auburn Theological Seminary. Destiny is currently participating in an interfaith fellowship at Auburn Theological Seminary, combining her justice-centered experience from CMEP with the seminary's world-healing approach to deepen her faith leadership skills. Hear more about Destiny's work below. | | | | | | | | Iron(wo)man for Gaza Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) presents Iron(wo)man for Gaza, a bold fundraising journey led by Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon. As she trains for and completes a full Ironman Triathlon—140.6 miles of swimming, biking, and running—Rev. Dr. Cannon aims to raise $1000 per mile for a total of $140,600 in support of peace, justice, and liberation in the Middle East. All funds raised will support the work of Churches for Middle East Peace, an organization Rev. Dr. Cannon has had the privilege of leading for over 8 years. For over 40 years, CMEP has been advocating, educating, and elevating voices in the Middle East, with the steadfast belief that peace is possible, and justice will prevail when we work together. 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. | | | | | | | | 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. | | | | | | July 1, 2025: CMEP Calls for Release of Unlawfully Detained Palestinian Medical Personnel
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) joins twenty-four other civil society organizations in calling for the release of the unlawfully detained Palestinian medical workers in Gaza and the West Bank. This includes doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals working for international humanitarian organizations such as MedGlobal and Children Not Numbers. Under International Humanitarian Law, healthcare workers are protected as civilians; However, many healthcare workers are being forcibly removed from hospitals and detained under dubious conditions. CMEP affirms the call to end arbitrary detentions and attacks on medical facilities, such as the repeated bombings on the Al-Ahli Hospital, as well as the release of those who are being unjustly detained. Healthcare workers belong in hospitals, not prisons. | | | | | | | | July 06, 2025: Destiny Magnett Guest Sermon at Second Unitarian Church On Sunday, July 6th, join Churches for Middle East Peace’s Destiny Magnett for a special guest sermon at Second Unitarian Church (Omaha, NE). Destiny’s sermon will explore the call to advocate for peace and justice in the Middle East. Second Unitarian provides opportunities to join worship both online and in-person. | | | | July 13, 2025: Destiny Magnett Guest Sermon at Rock Spring UCC Join CMEP’s outreach manager, Destiny Magnett, at Rock Spring UCC where she will be delivering a guest sermon on July 13th. Rock Spring is a longtime church partner of CMEP and we look forward to worshipping alongside them on this special Sunday. Join us in-person at Rock Spring (5010 Little Falls Road, Arlington, VA 22207) or via livestream at 10:00 AM ET. | | | | | | 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. Trump signs an executive order ending US sanctions on Syria AP News "President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday ending many U.S. economic sanctions on Syria, following through on a promise he made to the country’s new interim leader. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move was designed to “promote and support the country’s path to stability and peace." | | | | | | 6. Iran won't retaliate against U.S. — but will keep enriching uranium, top official says NBC News "Iran will not retaliate further for the United States’ punishing strikes on its nuclear program, a senior government official told NBC News on Thursday, saying his country is open to negotiations with Washington. But Iran has no plans to stop uranium enrichment, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in an interview, reiterating Tehran's long-running position." | | | | | | 7. Israel says Hezbollah must disarm before any Lebanon peace talks can advance Times of Israel "An Israeli official on Monday said that while talks about potential peace deals with both Lebanon and Syria are taking place, Beirut must “finish the issue” of disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group before any normalization can move forward. Earlier Monday, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that Lebanon and Syria are both prospective candidates to join the Abraham Accords alongside Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020. A deal with Sudan was also announced at the time, but is yet to fully materialize." | | | | | | 8. Priest warns: Christian town in Holy Land no longer safe amid settler attacks Catholic News Agency “In a disturbing and increasingly frequent pattern, the Palestinian town of Taybeh, located east of Ramallah and known as the last remaining town in the West Bank inhabited entirely by Christians, faces ongoing attacks by Israeli settlers targeting residents, their property, and farmlands. According to ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, in recent weeks settlers have established a new outpost on the eastern edge of Taybeh atop the ruins of a farmhouse whose owners were displaced roughly a year ago." | | | | | | 9. Tenth anniversary of Holy See's recognition of State of Palestine Vatican News "Ten years after the Holy See formally recognized the State of Palestine, Palestine's new Foreign Minister, Varsen Aghabekian, says the 2015 agreement offers a vision of hope for the future of the Holy Land, beginning with the continued presence of Christians in their homeland." | | | | | | 10. Likud ministers urge Netanyahu to annex West Bank by the end of the month The Times of Israel "Senior lawmakers and ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party launched a push on Wednesday urging the premier to annex the West Bank before the end of the Knesset’s summer session on July 27, claiming that he must ride the “historic achievements” of the war against Iran. In a letter signed by 15 Likud ministers currently in government as well as Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, the lawmakers wrote that “after the State of Israel’s historic achievements in the face of Iran’s axis of evil and its sympathizers, the task must be completed and the existential threat from within must be eliminated, to prevent another massacre in the heart of the country.”" | | | | | | | | 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 | | | | | | | |
