August 9th News Bulletin

Displaced Palestinians flee their homes with their belongings in the Bureij refugee camp in Deir al-Balah, in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, July 28, 2024, following an evacuation order by the Israeli military which ordered the evacuation of areas in Gaza ahead of a planned raid. KHAMES ALREFI / MIDDLE EAST IMAGES VIA AFP/GETTY IMAGES

From CMEP’s Own: Christians Should Pursue a Just Peace in Gaza | Opinion

written by CMEP's Ambassador Warren Clark Fellow Scott Gustafson and CMEP Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon

Newsweek

“Many Christians believe Israel's war against Hamas is a "just war" and that the state of Israel must exercise a right to self-defense in response to the atrocious attacks of October 7. Leaders encourage this thinking and support a binary choice of us-or-them, good-versus-evil, barbarians and monsters against the civilized and free. But such exercises in justifying violence entertain the wrong questions at the wrong time."

Quakers have welcomed the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) landmark ruling that the Israeli presence in all occupied Palestinian territory must end, photo credit: Hosnay Salah from Pixabay

CMEP in the News: Quakers welcome historic ruling on Palestine but warn of imminent danger of wider war

Quakers in Britain

“Without decisive action now, the consequences of this drift to deeper, broader, and more entrenched conflict will be more destruction and loss of innocent lives," signatories to the letter coordinated by Churches for Middle East Peace wrote.
“It is time for the international community, as well as Israeli, Palestinian, and regional decision makers, to act."”

Palestinians inspect the damage at a site hit by an Israeli bombardment on Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi, File)

Arab evangelical Christians invite Zionist evangelicals to restore ‘one body in Christ’

Religious News Service

"Since the beginning of Israel’s war in Gaza, Arab Christians in the Middle East have complained that Western Christians, particularly white evangelicals, have exhibited a lack of compassion for the Palestinians, nearly 40,000 of whom have died since Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7. The Middle East has long been fodder for apocalyptic preachers aiming to excite their television audiences or megachurch parishioners by using the latest conflict as proof of a dubious prophecy."

The number of Palestinian held in Israeli jails has doubled since October. [GETTY/file photo]

Leaked Israeli prison footage 'shows sexual abuse' of Palestinian detainee

The New Arab

"A video leaked from an Israeli detention camp purportedly showing the abuse of a Palestinian prisoner has added to mounting allegations of sexual abuse and torture of Palestinian detainees.
The video, aired by Israel's Channel 12 broadcaster on Wednesday, documents Israeli soldiers allegedly sexually assaulting a Palestinian man at Israel’s Sde Teiman, a secret imprisonment camp in the Negev desert set up after 7 October where hundreds of people from Gaza have been held.”

Evangelicalism’s Relentless Zeal for Israel’s Relentless War on Gaza: with advocate Mae Elise Cannon

Date: August 13th 11:00 AM EST

Join the Christian Forum on Israel-Palestine for a compelling virtual conversation on the Western (Evangelical) Church's unwavering support for Israel amidst the ongoing conflict in Gaza, featuring CMEP executive director, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon.

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.

Yahya Sinwar has served as Hamas's leader in Gaza since 2017.

Hamas names Yahya Sinwar as new overall leader

BBC News

"After two days of lengthy negotiations in Doha, Hamas has named Yahya Sinwar as its new overall chief, replacing Ismail Haniyeh who was assassinated in Tehran last week.
Since 2017, Sinwar has served as the group's leader inside the Gaza strip. He will now become leader of its political wing."

Some displaced Palestinians have set up camp next to sewage facilities.

Gaza to get 1.2m polio vaccines amid outbreak fears

BBC News

"The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced plans to send 1.2 million polio vaccines to Gaza after the virus was detected in wastewater. The agency’s chief, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, outlined plans for two rounds of vaccination, targeting 600,000 children under the age of eight. The first round is due to start on 17 August."

The flags of Iraq and the United States are placed on the table during a meeting with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin meets and Iraqi Defense Minister Muhammad Al-Abbasi at the Pentagon, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A rocket attack at an Iraqi military base injures US personnel, officials tell A

AP News

"Several U.S. personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack at a military base in Iraq, U.S. defense officials said Monday, in what has been a recent uptick in strikes on American forces by Iranian-backed militias."

From CMEP's Own: From Isis to faith in Christ: Unveiling Paths of De-radicalisation and Conversion

Watch CMEP's Ambassador Warren Clark Fellow (AWCF) Dr. Scott Gustafson interview with Rev. Dr. Rob Dalrymple on the Determine Truth livestream discussing deradicalization and conversion research in the Levant, Just War Theory and the early church. They explored how the Levantine and early church contexts inform concepts of belonging and believing and how people change. They also discussed what the Middle Eastern church might say to the Western church today, including how we might apply research findings on deradicalization to the current Gaza conflict.
 

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. 

Solidarity Sunday Prayer Service

On Sunday, July 21st Churches for Middle East Peace held a communal space of worship, lament, and prayer on Zoom. They watched messages shared with us from Christians in the Holy Land and heard reflections on solidarity from Christian leaders here in the U.S. 

Resources for future Solidarity Sunday events can be found here: CMEP Solidarity Sunday Resources

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