UK charities to show support for peace and justice in Holy Land

Pax Christi England and Wales is preparing to mark the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel 16-22 September. Resources on their website include an “Among the Rubble” prayer card with a prayer-poem by Jan Sutch Pickard and suggestions for prayer and action as well as a “sumud” Prayer card which uses the Palestinian concept of “steadfastness” as an inspiration to pray for the Holy Land.

Pax Christi is joining the annual World Council of Churches’ week of prayer and peaceful action for a just peace for all in Palestine and Israel, which this year is focusing on Gaza. As part of the week, an online prayer event will be held on 18 September. 

For World Water Week 25-29 August, with the theme, “Bridging Borders: Water for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future”, Friends of Holy Land has been raising money for water projects, particularly in the West Bank. Palestinian communities are increasingly surrounded by Israeli settlements with abundant water resources, while they have little access to clean water. Israel recently announced that it will decrease the water supply to the West Bank by 50 per cent, further increasing water scarcity.

Friends of the Holy Land has provided shallow wells in Zababdeh, in the Jenin area, and new water tanks serving 90 families. And water tanks have been provided too in the old town of Bethlehem which frequently experiences poor or no water supply for several weeks at a time and residents are forced to use stored water or buy in water from a tanker at four times the price of tap water. Improved hygiene and health for 48 vulnerable families is the goal. These projects also provide work and income for Palestinian equipment suppliers, site managers and contractors whose businesses have been devastated for nearly a year with the cut back in construction activity.

Pax Christi Merseyside has picked up the Pax Christi International theme of “Water for Peace” which spotlights Palestine, “where the Israeli government has used water deprivation to dehumanise and threaten Palestinians”.

And from the International Day of Peace on 21 September to the International Day of Nonviolence on 2 October, the Catholic Nonviolence Days of Action will be marked. Events will include a Peace Pilgrimage in London and an online event with an opportunity to make a “vow of nonviolence”.  Liturgies are available from Pax Christi for groups wanting to organise local vigils.

On 21 August, Cafod, which is running an appeal to support aid work in Gaza, issued a statement: “We call on the UK government and world leaders to support these humanitarian efforts and pursue lasting peace. As Pope Francis has said, ‘War is always a defeat for humanity.’ The UK must urgently leverage its diplomatic influence to demand a ceasefire and ensure accountability in line with international law.”

Public solidarity with the Holy land, particularly Christian communities, was shown at the Greenbelt Festival last week in Northamptonshire.

Christian Palestinian Daoud Nassar and his family, who live on their farm near Bethlehem in the West Bank, The Tent of Nations, appeared on screen to talk to thousands gathered at the Festival’s Communion Service last Sunday. The farm, where the family has lived for more than a century, is facing threats from five surrounding Israeli settlements “which are growing all the time,” reported Douad, “but we are still here and in a nonviolent way.” He invited UK visitors to come to the farm as volunteers “and then go back home and tell what you have seen.”  He concluded: “We refuse to be victims. We refuse to hate. We refuse to be enemies. We are trying to live out our Christian faith seeking peace and justice.” The huge congregation waved and the Nassars waved back. A collection was taken up, 50 per cent of which will go towards supporting Christian Aid’s work in Gaza.

Prayers for peace in the Holy Land were said during a Catholic Mass at the Festival, celebrated by Salesian Fr Martin Poulson.

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