| | CMEP Weekly Bulletin: Accountability is Justified — and Needed — in a U.S. Reporter’s Death A look at investigations, violence, 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: FILE - Yellow tape marks bullet holes on a tree and a portrait and flowers create a makeshift memorial, at the site where Palestinian-American Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed in the West Bank city of Jenin, May 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed, File) | | | Accountability is justified — and needed — in a U.S. reporter’s death Washington Post “The Justice Department’s reported decision to investigate the still-unexplained killing of a well-known Palestinian American journalist during an Israeli raid in the West Bank this spring is a step in the direction of determining the truth. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who announced a probe is underway, only deepened the impression that Israel is resisting accountability by immediately condemning it and refusing to cooperate.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: The United Nations General Assembly Fourth Committee votes on measures addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the United Nations in New York, November 11, 2022. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel) | | | UN panel asks Int’l Court of Justice to urgently weigh in on Israeli ‘annexation’
Times of Israel “A United Nations committee on Friday (Nov. 11) approved a resolution to request the International Court of Justice ‘urgently’ weigh in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Israeli ‘annexation.’ The UN General Assembly Fourth Committee voted in favor of the measure by a margin of 98 in favor, 17 opposed and 52 abstentions. The resolution, titled ‘Israeli practices and settlement activities affecting the rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories,’ was one of several focused on the conflict during the session.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks during a memorial ceremony for late controversial Rabbi Meir Kahane. (Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images) | | | U.S. slams Israeli ultranationalist lawmaker's remarks at Kahane memorial Axios “State Department spokesperson Ned Price said it was ‘abhorrent’ that Israeli politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of a Jewish supremacist party who is set to become a minister in the next government, praised the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, who was known for his racist and extreme rhetoric, at a memorial service in Israel on Thursday (November 10).” | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | Public Statement: Churches for Middle East Peace Joins Christian Faith Leaders in Writing in Support of Accountability for the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. In the letter, the leaders write, “After more than four months, no adequate investigation has been conducted. Particularly because Ms. Abu Akleh was a U.S. citizen deserving of the full protection of her rights by her government, the U.S. government must ensure that those responsible for her death are held fully accountable and that any role U.S. defense materials or services might have had in her killing is thoroughly documented.” | | | | |  | New this year: CMEP’s first Advent Devotional Book! CMEP is pleased to have partnered with author Kelley Nikondeha to create a devotional series entitled “The First Advent: Embodying God’s Peace Plan” that is available for purchase for you or your church group. This devotional book contains devotionals for each Sunday of Advent, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as well as Alternative Advent Practices written by members of CMEP’s staff. | | | | |  | Action Alert: Contact Your Representative Now: Ask Them to Cosponsor the Justice for Shireen Act On May 11, Shireen Abu Akleh, a journalist wearing a flak jacket with the word PRESS clearly marked, was shot and killed while covering an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin. So far, no one has been held accountable for her killing. On November 14, Rep. André Carson introduced the “Justice for Shireen Act” (HR 9291), a bill that will be vital to ensuring a thorough and transparent investigation is carried out. That same day, it was reported that the FBI has opened an investigation into Shireen Abu Akleh's death. | | | | | | | | Giving Tuesday is coming soon! CMEP is excited to announce we will be participating in Giving Tuesday this year! Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement that unleashes the power of radical generosity around the world. It's an incredibly important day for CMEP, as we receive 70% of our funding at year-end. Mark November 29th on your calendar and keep an eye on your emails and our social media for more information! | | | | | | | | | |  | Image: In this image taken from video footage provided by Iranian military, September 29, 2022, a missile is launched during an attack targeting the Iraqi Kurdish region. (Iranian military via AP) | | | Renewed Iranian missile attacks in northern Iraq kill at least 1
Times of Israel “Missiles fired from Iran target bases of an exiled Iranian Kurdish opposition group in neighboring Iraq, killing at least one person and wounding eight, local officials said. It was the latest in a series of such attacks in recent weeks. The casualty number from Iran’s salvo in the northern province of Sulimaniyah in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish-run region was not immediately clear.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Members of an emergency response team and Israeli forces work at the scene of an attack, at the Ariel Industrial Zone in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 15, 2022. (Reuters/Ammar Awad) | | | Palestinian kills three in West Bank as Israeli politics veers rightward
Reuters “A Palestinian killed three Israelis near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank and was hailed by Islamist militants as a hero on Tuesday (Nov. 16), hours before Israel swore in lawmakers set to return Benjamin Netanyahu to power atop a hard-right coalition. The attack at Ariel settlement's industrial zone, which Israeli officials said was carried out by a knife-wielding man who was later shot dead by a soldier, was the bloodiest for Israel since it intensified West Bank raids in March.” | | | | | | | |  | Image: Cover of the October 6, 1978 issue of Christianity Today. (Christianity Today) | | | Furnace of the Lord: In support of the Arabs
Christianity Today A profound article by Elisabeth Elliot in 1978, have perspectives toward Palestinian Christians changed all that much? “‘Suppose,” an old Arab said to me when I was visiting Jerusalem, ‘Just suppose you have eight little chickens. You have watched them hatch, you feed and care for them, they are your pets. One night a neighbor comes and cleans you out. He takes all eight of your baby chicks. Next morning he reaches his hand toward you across the fence. Will you shake hands? No, you cannot. Even if I have lost only little chickens, it will be hard to give my neighbor my hand. But what if I have lost my lands, my olive groves, my orchards, my vineyards, my house, my job, my money? What if I have lost even my children and my wife? Yet the world says ‘Why are the Arabs so stubborn? Israel offers them the hand of peace, but they will not reach across the table.’” | | | | | | | | 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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