| | CMEP Weekly Bulletin: Violence Against Christians: Degradation of the Sacred and the Holy in Jerusalem A look at the Church in Jerusalem, the anniversary of the Oslo Accords, 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: Picture from the author of St. George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem. | | | Violence Against Christians: Degradation of the Sacred and the Holy in Jerusalem By Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, Do Justice. “Just this past week, I heard a colleague of mine - a missionary for an international Christian agency based in Jerusalem - tell how he was spat upon when coming out of a worship service in the Old City of Jerusalem. The story of priests and Christian leaders experiencing harassment, jeering, and even the throwing of stones is not new in the sacred Holy City. Unfortunately, the number of incidents has risen dramatically this past year, and the safety and security of local Christians living in the region has become increasingly at risk.” | | | | | |  | Image: Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa leads the Easter Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Sunday, April 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) | | | Why Jerusalem’s Latin patriarch opened church courts to non-Catholic lawyers Religion News “In a striking development, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has opened the way for lawyers of all faiths and none to plead in Jordan’s Latin ecclesiastical courts. It’s a courageous decision that waives Catholic Canon Law in order to give more people access to the law.” | | | | | |  | Image: The flags of the U.S. and Israel. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | | | Senate Dems call on Blinken to stop Israel visa waiver Axios “A group of Democratic senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Friday (Sep 8) asking him not to move forward with admitting Israel into the Visa Waiver Program, claiming the country will not fully meet the criteria for admission by the Sept. 30 deadline, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Axios.” | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Armenia at War: the Survival of the Church in the Oldest Christian State: Join us beginning September 20th for this mini-course about Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This three-week course will address several issues. The first week will focus on the sustainability of the church in the oldest Christian state, the history of the Armenian genocide, and the ongoing struggle to protect the Christian heritage and presence in Nagorno-Karabakh and Ancient Armenia. The second week will discuss the political dynamics in the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The third session will be a prayer gathering, including Christian ministries in Armenia, and the opportunity to pray together for an end to the ongoing war and the sustainability of the church in the region. | | | | |  | Join Churches for Middle East Peace and Just Vision on September 21 for a virtual screening of the film Boycott, with a discussion to follow. Boycott traces the impact of state legislation designed to penalize individuals and companies that choose to boycott Israel due to its human rights record. | | | | | | | | | | | | Support CMEP: At CMEP, we take a dual narrative approach to fighting for peace and a just path forward. We hope you will join us by making a gift today. | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: Sajida Abu Salah, whose son Ali was murdered in August on his way to work. (Matthias Somm/CNN) | | | Israel’s Arab citizens demand justice after alarming rise in gang-related murders
CNN “The rise in violence is fueled by organized crime, Israeli officials say. Activists claim gangs prey on the high unemployment rate among young Arab-Israeli men, acting as loan sharks, and force shopkeepers and others to pay protection fees. Illegal guns have also flooded Arab towns across Israel, they add, and people are afraid to cooperate in police investigations for fear of reprisal attacks.” | | | | | |  | Image: Yasser Arafat International Airport, opened after the signing of the Oslo Accords, was never completed. (AFP) | | | Oslo Accords: 30 years of lost Palestinian hopes BBC “It is the 30th anniversary of the breakthrough Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians. The peace deal led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority, intended to provide interim self-government for just five years while negotiations solved outstanding core issues in the conflict. Today, nearly a decade after peace talks collapsed, the PA remains in place, but is losing its legitimacy.” | | | | | |  | Image: Azerbaijani servicemen stand guard at a checkpoint at the Lachin corridor. (Tofik Babayev/AFP/Getty Images) | | | A mountaintop enclave facing genocide. And a plan to stop it. CNN “Nothing about Luis Moreno Ocampo’s testimony to the US Congress last week was subtle. The legendary former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court told the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission that there is reasonable basis to believe that a genocide is underway in Nagorno-Karabakh, where an estimated 120,000 Armenians have been deprived of food, fuel and medical supplies for more than eight months.” | | | | | |  | Image: A general view of the city of Derna is seen on Tuesday, Sept. 12., 2023. (AP Photo/Jamal Alkomaty) | | | Toll from devastating floods in Libyan city passes 5,100 dead, authorities struggle to get in aid AP News “Search teams combed streets, wrecked buildings and even the sea Wednesday (Sep 13) to look for bodies in a coastal Libyan city where the collapse of two dams unleashed a massive flash flood that killed at least 5,100 people. The Mediterranean city of Derna has struggled to get help after Sunday (Sep 10) night’s deluge washed away most access roads.” | | | | | | | | | | 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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