| | CMEP Weekly Bulletin: Shireen Abu Aqla: Israel Says 'High Probability' Soldier Killed Reporter A look at investigations, deals and discussions, and more news in this week’s bulletin. 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. | | | |  | Image: Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Aqla. (EPA) | | | Shireen Abu Aqla: Israel says 'high probability' soldier killed reporter BBC “The Israeli military has concluded there is a ‘high probability’ that one of its soldiers killed the Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Aqla. The veteran Al Jazeera correspondent was shot in the head while covering a raid in the occupied West Bank in May. It is the closest the military has come to admitting responsibility. The military's top legal officer has also ruled out a criminal investigation of the soldiers involved, effectively ending the probe into the case.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Palestinians prepare posters with pictures of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and Arabic that reads, "Shireen, the pulse of Palestine," at the office of Al Jazeera channel, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, May 11, 2022. (AP/Nasser Nasser) | | | US says IDF review of Abu Akleh killing ‘welcome,’ stresses need for accountability
Times of Israel “Washington said it ‘welcomed’ the Israeli military’s findings released Monday (September 5) that there was a ‘high probability’ Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was accidentally killed by an Israeli soldier nearly four months ago, and stressed the need for accountability in the high-profile incident. ‘We welcome Israel’s review of this tragic incident, and again underscore the importance of accountability in this case, such as policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future,’ US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement Monday night.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Yair Lapid meet on the second day of Biden's visit. (Kobi Gideon/GPO) | | | Joe Biden to Yair Lapid: We will never tie Israel’s hands against Iran J-Post “The US will never stop Israel from defending itself against Iran, US President Joe Biden told Prime Minister Yair Lapid, according to US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides. ‘We will never tie Israel’s hands in the defense that Israel needs,’ Nides said, quoting Biden. ‘We understand the aggression of Iran.’ Biden also repeated his commitment that Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon, according to the ambassador.” | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Justice for Shireen:
Read this recent piece by CMEP’s Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, in the Do Justice Blog, on the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. “Pray for the family of Shireen Abu Akleh and all of her friends and loved ones grieving her death. Also, join CMEP and our church partners and denominations in TAKING ACTION, calling on Members of Congress to support the Justice for Shireen Act.” | | | | |  | Intern with CMEP:
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) seeks inquisitive, independent, and enthusiastic interns interested in working for peace regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through supporting and equipping grassroots advocacy and education. Interns receive mentoring and valuable experience through their internships. Interns are essential to our work and receive mentoring and valuable experience through their internships. Internship focuses include: Communications, Development, Non-Profit Administration, Church Engagement, Advocacy, and Government Affairs. | | | | |  | Meet the Academics of CMEP:
Register to meet the Academics of CMEP on September 29, 2022 at Noon Eastern via Zoom to learn about the work each is doing. Facilitated by Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon: Executive Director & holds both a Ph.D. in American History with a minor in Middle Eastern studies from the University of California (Davis) and a D.Min in Ministry in Spiritual Formation from Northern Theological Seminary. | | | | | | | | Support the work of CMEP: CMEP is constantly encouraged in the work of holistic peacebuilding and advocacy in Israel, Palestine, and the broader Middle East by the support of friends like you. Click the button below to see how you can be a part of this great work. | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: An Israeli navy vessel patrols in the Mediterranean Sea at the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon on Sept. 4. (Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images) | | | Upcoming talks on Lebanon-Israel maritime dispute seen as crucial
Axios “Israeli and Lebanese officials see the upcoming visit of U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein as crucial to the efforts to reach a deal to end the maritime border dispute between Israel and Lebanon and de-escalate the situation. Driving the news: Hochstein is expected to arrive in the region in the coming days to try to push the parties closer to an agreement, Israeli officials said.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Murals depicting large eyes of local and international personalities, painted as part of a public art project entitled "I Witness Silwan" on hillside houses in the Arab neighborhood of Silwan Friday. (Ahmad Gharabli/ AFP) | | | Giant murals draw eyes to Palestinian evictions in East Jerusalem
Haaretz “A group of artists has filled a Palestinian area of east Jerusalem with paintings of large, wide-open eyes. The murals are a reminder that all eyes are on the neighborhood of Silwan, a flash point where Palestinians say Israeli forces and settlers are working to drive them out of their homes. The eye murals are so giant that they make you feel they are watching you wherever you walk in the neighborhood. Many are painted on the walls of decaying Palestinian homes alongside national symbols.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: An unidentified International Atomic Energy Agency inspector cuts the connections between the twin cascades for 20 percent uranium enrichment at the Natanz facility, some 200 miles (322 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran, January 20, 2014. (AP/IRNA, Kazem Ghane) | | | UN watchdog says it ‘cannot assure’ that Iran nuclear program is peaceful
Times of Israel “The UN’s nuclear watchdog says it cannot guarantee the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program, saying there had been ‘no progress’ in resolving questions over the past presence of nuclear material at undeclared sites. In a report seen by AFP, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was ‘not in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.’” | | | | | | | | 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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