October 18th News Bulletin

From CMEP's Travels

Recently, CMEP's executive director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon hosted Bishop Malusi of the South African Council of Churches for meetings in the Middle East, including in Jordan. Here, they are meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi, where they discuss the desperate need to stop Israeli attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. Read more about that meeting HERE.

Churches For Middle East Peace Joins 19 other Christian Faith Leaders In Letter To Harris And Trump Campaigns

Churches for Middle East Peace Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon joins 19 other Christian faith leaders in a letter to both Harris and Trump campaigns to express a shared deep concern regarding the ongoing injustice and violations of human rights in Israel/Palestine. The leaders write, “Even as our primary focus for months has been on calling for an immediate end to the violence in Gaza and throughout Israel/Palestine, we know more must be done by the United States government to work toward a just and permanent solution that addresses the core issues so that international human rights are upheld and the most vulnerable are protected. To that end, we offer the following recommendations for what we feel must be addressed by the next administration in their first 100 days in office.”

Israeli military body Cogat said 50 lorries delivered aid from Jordan to northern Gaza on Wednesday

UN says 'trickle' of aid reaches north Gaza, as Israel denies blocking access

BBC

“Israel has denied obstructing humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, after the US warned its ally in a letter to urgently boost humanitarian access or risk having some military assistance cut off. The first aid in two weeks was allowed into northern Gaza following the letter, but the UN's acting humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya described it as a “trickle”.In the letter sent on Sunday, the US expressed deep concern at the humanitarian situation and said Israeli actions had contributed to it.”

CMEP along with other Humanitarian and Aid organizations warn of the dire situation in Northern Gaza. Read our statement HERE.

FILE PHOTO: Yahya Sinwar speaks during a rally in Gaza, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Yahya Sinwar killed, Israel says, as Biden looks toward ceasefire - as it happened

Reuters

“Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed during a gun battle in southern Gaza on Wednesday by Israeli troops who were initially unaware that they had caught their country's number one enemy, Israeli officials said. Intelligence services had been searching for Sinwar for months and had been gradually restricting the area where he could operate, the military said on Thursday, after dental records, fingerprints and DNA testing provided final confirmation of Sinwar's death.”

A still from footage by Mohammad Sultan, who said he was fired at while retrieving food, water and blankets. Mohammad Sultan

Palestinians evacuating northern Gaza say they are being shot at by Israeli military

CNN

“Palestinians fleeing sites of Israel’s renewed military operation in northern Gaza are being shot at as they evacuate, according to residents there and footage shared with CNN documenting their journey. Mohammad Sultan, 28, said he and his family fled their house in Jabalya in northern Gaza “due to the intense and continuous bombardments in the area.” When he went back to retrieve food, water and blankets, he and other civilians were fired at, he said.”

Save the Date: Better Citizens, Better World- Oct. 16-19

Churches for Middle East Peace, in partnership with Evangelicals4Justice (E4J), Christians for Social Action (CSA), the Voices Project, and the Network of Evangelicals for the Middle East (NEME), invites you to save the date for conference exploring how to take small and courageous steps together with fellow Jesus-followers. The Better Citizens, Better World conference, hosted virtually October 16-19, 2024, invites participants to explore meaningful ways of engaging as thoughtful citizens who care deeply and prayerfully about our nation. Discover your important role as a citizen AND as a follower of Jesus.  

 Mini-Series: Holding on in the Dark: Palestinians Pursuing Justice Under Occupation

Join Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) for a five part mini-series featuring stories from several notable Palestinian Christian cases currently making their way through the challenges, injustices, and frustrations of the legal system under occupation. Over the course of the series, we will hear from the families and loved ones of Palestinian youth in detention, families whose lands are at risk of annexation, experts on the Israeli government’s use of legal proceedings, and CMEP staff and board members. Each week, will also include action-steps for how Americans can support and advocate for Palestinians in the U.S.

Learning from Palestinian Catholics: Hardship & Hope in Israel-Palestine (Session at the 2024 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice)

Join the Catholic Advisory Council (CAC) of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) for a special breakout session at the 2024 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in Washington DC entitled, “Learning from Palestinian Catholics: Hardship & Hope in Israel-Palestine.” This special breakout session will be held from 7:30-8:30 PM on the opening night of the conference, October 26th, and feature remarks from the CAC’s Julie Schumacher-Cohen and Shaddy Maklouf, a Palestinian-American Catholic Student.

And Still We Rise

And Still We Rise 2024 (ASWR2024) provides a safe space for Palestinian/ Middle Eastern and American/ international women to build community, invite transformation, grow in ecumenical faith, and take action. The ASWR Summit seeks to support the convening and elevation of Palestinian Christian women leaders.

A child cries as displaced Palestinians flee areas in northern Gaza's Jabalia amid a renewed Israeli ground assault [Hussam Al-Zaanin/Reuters] Published On 17 Oct 2024

Israeli strike on school sheltering displaced families in Jabalia kills 28

Aljazeera

“At least 28 Palestinians, including children, have been killed in an Israeli strike on yet another school-turned-shelter in the northern Gaza Strip, a health official has said, as Israeli forces press on with their ground assault in the area. Thursday’s attack on the ravaged area, which has been besieged for nearly two weeks following a renewed Israeli ground offensive, wounded 160 others, according to Palestinian health official, Medhat Abbas.”

Shaban al Dalu died after an Israeli airstrike on the al Aqsa hospital in central Gaza.​​​​​​

A Palestinian student was asleep in his tent at a hospital when an Israeli strike brought an inferno

ABC News

“Shaban al-Dalu was sleeping in his tent in a central Gaza hospital's courtyard, still recuperating from wounds from an Israeli strike on a mosque a week earlier, when a new strike hit, setting off an inferno. The 19-year-old university student and his 38-year-old mother, Alaa al-Dalu, were among five people killed as the blaze ripped through a tent camp sheltering hundreds of Palestinian families in the courtyard of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah. Dozens of others, including children, were severely burned.”

The body of Hanan Abu Salami is carried during funeral proceedings in Faqqua on Thursday (Muhammed Ateeq/MEE)

West Bank woman shot in the back by Israeli soldiers while harvesting olives

Middle East Eye

“A 59-year-old Palestinian woman has been shot dead by Israeli forces while attending to her family’s olive grove in the village of Faqqua, east of Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank. Hanan Abu Salami was shot in the back on Thursday morning as she was picking olives with other members of her family when soldiers stationed on the nearby separation wall opened fire, her son told Middle East Eye. Faris Abu Salami, who was with his mother when she was shot, said the local council had negotiated permission from the Israeli army for the family and other villagers to pick olives on their lands providing they stayed at least 100 metres from the wall."

Nabatieh's governor said the number of dead could rise as the rubble was still being searched.

Mayor and 15 others killed in Israeli strike on Lebanon council meeting

BBC

“The UN’s special coordinator for Lebanon has criticised Israel after air strikes on municipal buildings in the southern city of Nabatieh killed the mayor and 15 other people. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert called the killing of mayor Ahmad Kahil “alarming” and said any violations of international humanitarian law were “completely unacceptable”. At least five of those killed in Wednesday's strike were municipal staff co-ordinating aid for civilians remaining in the area, Nabatiyeh Governor Howaida Turk told the BBC.”

Smoke rises after strikes earlier this month in Sana'a. Local television in Houthi-run areas reported on Thursday that 15 strikes hit sites near the capital and in Saada. Photograph: Yahya Arhab/EPA

US attacks Houthi targets in Yemen with B-2 stealth bombers for first time

The Guardian

"The US has carried out B-2 stealth bomber strikes on Houthi underground weapons facilities in Yemen for the first time, in an escalation that appears in part to be a warning to the movement’s backers in Tehran. Local television in Houthi-run areas of the country reported 15 strikes hit five sites near the capital, Sana’a, and in the northern governorate Saada, the traditional Houthi homeland, on Thursday around dawn."

Holding on in the Dark #1: Overview of the Israeli Legal System Under Occupation (ft. HaMoked)

On October 15th, CMEP held the first installment of our five-part mini-series "Holding on in the Dark: Palestinians Pursuing Justice Under Occupation." To open the series, the first conversation featured Jessica Montell, the Executive Director of the Israeli human rights organization HaMoked and longtime human-right activist and expert. In conversation with CMEP's Kyle Cristofalo, the episode provided a glimpse into the systems of occupation, legal challenges for Palestinians within the Israeli system, and the cases we will be highlighting in the weeks to come. Rewatch it here!

Updates from the Ground: Insights from CMEP's October 2024 Middle East Travel

On October 17th CMEP's Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon shared insights from her October 2024 Middle East travels. During her travels she met with a number of prominent religious leaders, government officials, and more. 

Contact Us

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