| ![](/apr23monthlyupdate/3ab911b7-1ba1-49f5-8d03-459ce546a6b6.png) | April 2023 Check out the latest opportunities and events from Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). | | | In-Person Advocacy Summit Register Now! Join Churches for Middle East Peace for our first in person Advocacy Summit since 2019. On April 20 we will hear from keynote speakers and panelists from Israel/Palestine and the U.S. including Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, and Rev. Dr. Jack Sara. Participants will have the opportunity to take the stories they have heard and advocate on behalf of human rights in Israel and Palestine with their Congressional offices on Friday, April 21. We hope you will consider joining us for fellowship, learning, and the chance to raise your voice on Capitol Hill this April. | | | | | | Non-Violent Peacebuilding On March 19th, Westminster Presbyterian Church (Delaware) and Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) had a conversation about non-violent peacebuilding and advocacy related to the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Hear from Michael Feigenbaum and Ismail Assad from Combatants for Peace about how they were compelled to break cycles of violence in Israeli and Palestinian society and work for collective peace and justice. Kyle Cristafalo from Churches for Middle East Peace spoke about the role the American church plays in advocating for a just peace in Israel/Palestine. | | | | | | | Raising your Voice for Peace On March 22, 2023, Churches for Middle East Peace hosted a webinar entitled Raising your Voice for Peace in Israel/Palestine: Best Practices for Advocacy. The webinar featured a conversation with Hassan El-Tayyab, Legislative Director for Middle East Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, who provided an overview of the best tools for engaging in virtual and in-person Congressional advocacy related to Israel/Palestine. He also highlighted relevant legislative advocacy priorities and new pathways forward in advocacy on Israel/Palestine and the broader Middle East. | | | | | | | Join the largest Israeli-Palestinian peace event in history. On April 24, 2023, we will gather to call for peace, freedom, and human rights for all. The Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony is hosted by Combatants for Peace and The Parents Circle–Families Forum, providing a unique opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to grieve and heal together. We are proud that Churches for Middle East Peace is an official sponsor this year. By unifying our pain and longing for peace, we demonstrate to the world our power to co-create a safe and free future. | | | | | | CMEP in the News: Recent Israeli elections detrimental to peace, Written by CMEP Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon and CMEP Ambassador Warren Clark Fellow Dr. Benjamin Norquist, The Christian Citizen, March 14, 2023. The Holy Land Unplugged: American Christian Investment and Responsible Pilgrimage, Written by CMEP Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, Do Justice., March 13, 2023. EDITORIAL: Life All Sanctions on Syria End the U.S. Occupation, Executive Intelligence Review, March 3, 2023. | | | | | | | | | | | This Month's Video: the Palestine Marathon Lauren, CMEP's Middle East Fellow, shares about the Palestine "Freedom of Movement" Marathon in Bethlehem: why the event happens, why so many people show up to participate every year, and why she decided to run the Half Marathon this March. | | | | | | Contact Us Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) 110 Maryland Ave NE, Suite 505 Washington, District of Columbia 20002 (202) 543-1222 info@cmep.org | | | | | | |