| | UN to Begin Dispensing Qatari Cash to Needy Gazan Families Monday Under New Deal A look at much-needed aid, efforts to prevent more violence, and more news in this week’s bulletin. Image: Palestinians receive financial aid from Qatar at a post office in Gaza City, November 27, 2019. (Hassan Jedi/Flash90) | | | |  | Image: Palestinians receive financial aid from Qatar at a post office in Gaza City, November 27, 2019. (Hassan Jedi/Flash90) | | | UN to begin dispensing Qatari cash to needy Gazan families Monday under new deal Times of Israel “The United Nations said Sunday that it would begin distributing Qatari cash to some eligible Gazan families on Monday, as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett denied reports that his government was weighing a resumption of the previous leadership’s policy of allowing cash payments to be sent in suitcases from Doha to Hamas civil servants. ‘Tomorrow, some vulnerable families in Gaza, out of the nearly 100,000 beneficiaries, will begin to receive their aid as part of the UN’s Humanitarian Cash Assistance programme, supported by the State of Qatar,’ the United Nations office tasked with handling Middle East peace efforts tweeted.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Health Minister Director-General Nachman Ash attends a press conference about the coronavirus, in Jerusalem on August 29, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90) | | | Health Ministry chief says coronavirus spread reaching record heights
Times of Israel “Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash said Tuesday (September 14) that the current wave of coronavirus infections is surpassing anything seen in previous outbreaks and that he is disappointed that a recent downward trend appeared to be reversing. Ash’s remarks via video call to the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee came as Health Ministry figures showed that over 10,000 new COVID-19 cases were diagnosed the day before and that the positive test rate was climbing.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Lebanon (Piotr Chrobot on Unsplash) | | | Pray for Lebanon: an economic depression worse than any in the modern era
Do Justice “More than a year ago, the Washington Post reported the acceleration of Lebanon’s ‘financial collapse’ due to corruption, financial mismanagement, and overspending. Since then global news agencies have identified the crisis as one of the worst economic catastrophes of the modern era. NPR reported soaring prices and referenced the World Bank’s identification of Lebanon as ‘one of the worst economic crises anywhere in the world...since the 1800s.’” | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Sheikh Jarrah Virtual Tour: Join CMEP and MEJDI Tours on September 29th at 11 am Eastern for a virtual tour. We'll travel via Zoom through the City of David, Silwan, and Sheikh Jarrah, starting with the relevant background and sharing the local narratives. This is an in-depth opportunity to view, learn, and discuss with your live guide. CMEP staff will be present to talk about current events and advocacy opportunities related to the Holy Land. | | | | |  | Webinar: an introduction to the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict of 2020 - Armenia and Azerbaijan at War: Join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) on September 28th at 10 am EST for a webinar that will provide a historical introduction to Armenia and Azerbaijan at War - specifically an introduction to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict of 2020. We'll be joined by Olesya Vartanyan from The Crisis Group. | | | | | | | | Support CMEP Online Shopping? Don't forget to set Churches for Middle East Peace as your charity partner on amazon.smile.com! | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: Bahrain Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, then-U.S. President Donald Trump, and United Arab Emirates Foreign Affairs Minister Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan are at the Abraham Accords signing ceremony at the White House in Washington on Sept. 15, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) | | | On Abraham Accords anniversary, Biden is tepid about Israeli-Arab peace
Foreign Policy “By neglecting to take ownership of the Abraham Accords and mumbling only faint praise for Israel’s new ties with former Arab adversaries, U.S. President Joe Biden is helping drag Arab-Israeli peace—the rock of bipartisan Middle East policy—into partisan politics. Next week is the one-year anniversary of the historic peace deal between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, but the White House has left it to the Republicans to celebrate the occasion. One year after then-U.S. President Donald Trump brought officials from the three countries to a signing ceremony on the White House lawn, his former Middle East team is leading the celebration of its diplomatic breakthrough with a possible eye toward the 2024 elections.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, left, and Rashida Tlaib during a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing, July 12th, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images) | | | House progressives renew effort to block bomb deliveries to Israel
Jewish Currents “Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Mark Pocan are leading a renewed effort to prohibit the delivery of US-made bombs to Israel. The three progressive legislators submitted an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would require the Biden administration to halt the export of Boeing-made Joint Direct Attack Munitions and Small Diameter Bombs to Israel for a year. The bombs were used by the Israeli Air Force to strike targets in Gaza during May’s escalation in violence. Given the overwhelming support Israel enjoys in Congress, it’s unlikely the amendment, published Tuesday on the House Rules Committee website, will make it into the final draft of the NDAA, which provides funding to the Defense Department. To do so, it would have to survive the House Rules Committee, which determines which amendments can be included as part of the NDAA." | | | | | | | |  | Image: In this June 27, 2021, file photo, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid meets with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Rome. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) | | | Israeli, Jordanian leaders meet amid push to improve ties
AP News “Israel’s new prime minister met secretly with the Jordanian king last week, an Israeli official confirmed Thursday, as the two countries announced new agreements on water and trade. The agreements, concluded during a meeting between their foreign ministers, signaled improved relations with Israel’s new government following years of strained ties under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Under the deal, Jordan will purchase an additional 50 million cubic meters of water from Israel and increase its exports to the occupied West Bank from $160 million a year to around $700 million, the two countries announced in official statements." CMEP is pleased to partner with EcoPeace. Find out more about becoming a CMEP partner here. | | | | | | | | 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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