 |  | July 19th News Bulletin Here’s what’s upcoming and what you may have missed at CMEP and in the news. | | | |  | Palestinians displaced by the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip walk through a street market in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) | | | The church is radicalizing over Gaza Religion News Service “The Hamas attack and subsequent Israeli offensive in Gaza and the West Bank, launched with a fervor perhaps unmatched in modern history, is radicalizing a whole new generation of Israelis and Palestinians and, along with it, many in the West. And that radicalization is bearing the fruit of extremism, not just among Hamas militants or Zionist settlers but also in the Christian church." Scott Gustafson is an Ambassador Warren Clark Fellow (AWCF) at Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). | | | | | | | |  | An aerial view of the Knesset building, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, on October 23, 2018. Abir Sultan/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock/File | | | Israeli lawmakers vote overwhelmingly against Palestinian statehood, challenging US policy CNN “A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been US policy for decades, but absent negotiations between the two sides, and a lack of sustained effort by the US to make it happen, means faith in such an outcome has dwindled. On Wednesday evening, the Israeli parliament made clear its position, voting by 68 to 9 to reject any creation of a Palestinian state.” | | | | | |  | People reacts at the site of what Palestinians say was an Israeli strike at a tent camp in Al-Mawasi area, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip July 13, 2024. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled | | | Gaza officials say 90 Palestinians killed as Israel targets Hamas military chief Reuters “An Israeli airstrike killed at least 90 Palestinians in a designated humanitarian zone in Gaza on Saturday, the enclave's health ministry said, in an attack that Israel said targeted Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif.” | | | | | | | |  | Palestinians inspect a UN school sheltering displaced people, following an Israeli attack, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Nuseirat in the central [Ramadan Abed/Reuters] | | | Israel bombs 6th UN-run school in Gaza in 10 days, kills dozens Al-Jazeera “Israel’s military has bombed another United Nations-run school as well as an Israeli-designed “safe-zone” in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 42 Palestinians and wounding dozens of others, according to Palestinian officials.” | | | | | | | |  | St. John’s Episcopal Norwood Parish “Christian principles and the Gaza Crisis: a talk by Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon.” On Sunday, July 21st, join the Executive Director at St. John's Episcopal Church - Norwood Parish for a post-worship conversation on Christians' role in advocating for an end to the violence in Gaza. At 11:30 AM following 10:00 AM worship. Attendees will hear about CMEP's ongoing work advocating for justice since October 7th, recent travel to the Holy Land, and action steps for getting involved in working toward peace. | | | | |  | Solidarity Sunday Prayer Service Join Churches for Middle East Peace at 3:30 PM on Solidarity Sunday, July 21st, for a communal space of worship, lament, and prayer on Zoom. We will watch the messages shared with us from Christians in the Holy Land and hear reflections on solidarity from Christian leaders here in the U.S. | | | | |  | Joint Prayer Service Join CMEP and several of our member denominations as we gather on the steps of the United Methodist Building on July 24th from 9:00-10:00 AM to pray for an end to violence and military action in Gaza ahead of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's address to congress. An ecumenical group of Christian leaders will pray for (1) a permanent ceasefire, (2) demilitarization, (3) the allowance of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, (4) the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinians being held without cause, and (5) for the underlying conditions of the occupation to be addressed. | | | | | | Solidarity Sunday: On Sunday, July 21st, 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. Recources are available to shape Sunday prayers, worship, liturgy, and other aspects of Solidarity Sunday services, including videos from Palestinian Christian 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 just days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to speak before the U.S. Congress. Mark your calendars and encourage your churches to join us in this faithful call for comprehensive ceasefire and peace for all in the Holy Land. You will be able to choose from these four sub themes in order to best fit your community. 1. Standing with Christians in the Holy Land 2. Praying for Peace in Gaza and the Middle East 3. Calling for a Comprehensive Ceasefire 4. Working Together to Prevent Genocide | | | | Beyond the Headlines August 26th
Join Churches for Middle East Peace on August 26th for a special webinar focusing on women working at the intersections of journalism and media in Palestine, and the unique role women play in shaping stories coming out of the Middle East. This webinar will pay specific attention to the current crisis in Gaza. | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | The US military said more than 9,000 tonnes of aid were delivered via the floating pier over two months. | | | US military ends Gaza floating aid pier mission BBC “The US military has ended its mission to operate a temporary floating pier to deliver more aid to the Gaza Strip, after it was beset by weather, technical and security problems.” | | | | | |  | Activists stand in front of trucks carrying humanitarian aid as they try to stop them from entering the Gaza Strip in an area near the Kerem Shalom border crossing, southern Israel, Thursday, May 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File) | | | Far-right groups that block aid to Gaza receive tax-deductible donations from US and Israel AP News “Three groups that have prevented humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza — including one accused of looting or destroying supplies — have raised more than $200,000 from donors in the U.S. and Israel, The Associated Press and the Israeli investigative site Shomrim have found in an examination of crowdfunding websites and other public records.” | | | | | | | |  | Syria's President Bashar al-Assad attends the Arab League summit, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2023. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo | | | Syria's Assad says will only meet Turkey's Erdogan if 'core' issues addressed Reuters “Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday he would only meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan if the two countries could focus on the core issues of Ankara's support for "terrorism" and the pullout of Turkish forces from Syrian territory.” | | | | | | | | | |  | CMEP Wednesday Prayers for Peace Churches for Middle East Peace invites you to pray for peace in light of recent events in Gaza, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories. Every Wednesday 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm Eastern via Zoom. | | | | |  | CMEP Thursday Briefing
Please join us on Zoom for a weekly briefing on current news regarding the Hamas and Israel War. Hear from CMEP Staff and other experts. Every Thursday 10:00 am - 10:30 am Eastern. | | | | | | | | | | 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 | | | | | | | |
