We at Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) are deeply grieved by the news coming out of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt). Reports of stabbings, shootings, and other aggression have heightened fears and resulted in one of the most violent periods of militant attacks in recent history... The tragedy experienced by one people group does not negate the loss and tragedy experienced by another. As incidents of violence have escalated against Israelis, Palestinians living in the village of Al-Walaja outside of Bethlehem have been traumatized by the threat of displacement... Demolitions and displacement are only one of the concerns Palestinians experience living under a military occupation that has existed since 1967.

A part of a series of webinars on Christians in the Holy Land with the Association of US Catholic Priests taking place during the pre-Pentecost Novena inviting the Holy Spirit, this webinar will feature some of the key ongoing challenges for peace and a just future in Israel-Palestine in East Jerusalem (demolitions, evictions, and confiscations) and the West Bank (challenges within Palestinian civil society). Each speaker will then address where transformation and glimmers of a “better future” have come from: What do you hope to see happen? Finally, what role can foreign actors play in resolving these aspects of the conflict?

The theme for this year's Lent Devotional Series is " Lent 2022: Hope Grows: Seeds planted, future promise ". You can find all the other devotionals as they're released on our website or sign up to receive them in your email.

 

This year, we were pleased to ask members of our staff to share reflections on the theme of “Hope Grows: Seeds planted, future promise” throughout the season of Lent. CMEP is very thankful for those writers who contribute Spiritual Resources. However, CMEP does not necessarily agree with all the positions of our writers, and they do not speak on CMEP’s behalf.