Since October 2023, Pax Christi members have been part of a broad coalition of peacemakers who have taken action and called for an end to the violence in Gaza and the rest of the Occupied Territories. Find multiple statements and calls to action here on our Palestine page.
We want to call your attention to several upcoming events:
- Every Wednesday, 12:30-1 PM Eastern, pray online with Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). No donation is required to register.
- Every Thursday, 10-10:30 AM Eastern, join CMEP online for a news briefing. No donation is required to register.
Solidarity Sunday, July 21: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) and its 35 member denominations and communions call upon congregations in the U.S. and worldwide to pray for peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East as part of Solidarity Sunday.
CMEP will provide resources to shape Sunday prayers, worship, liturgy, and other aspects of Solidarity Sunday services, including videos from Palestinian Christian voices in the region. Resources will be ecumenically and politically diverse, allowing each community to shape their Solidarity Sunday around their own traditions and commitments. Use this link to request resources from CMEP.
This day of prayerful solidarity and calls for justice comes just days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to speak before the U.S. Congress. Mark your calendars and encourage your churches to join us in this faithful call for comprehensive ceasefire and peace for all in the Holy Land.
Communities will be able to choose from these four sub themes in order to best fit their community:
1. Solidarity Sunday: Standing with Christians in the Holy Land
2. Solidarity Sunday: Praying for peace in Gaza and the Middle East
3. Solidarity Sunday: Calling for a comprehensive ceasefire
4. Solidarity Sunday: Working together to prevent genocide
Online events or events in or near Washington, DC (most livestreamed):
Wednesday, July 10, 1 PM Eastern: Join the Stones Cry Out Virtual Delegation for a webinar interview with Issa Amro, Hebron native nonviolent activist, founder of Youth Against Settlements. Issa has led campaigns of nonviolent civil disobedience against apartheid and Israeli occupation and has been recognized and given awards by international organizations, including the United Nations. Use this link to register. Organized by the Indiana Center for Middle East Peace.
Saturday, July 13, 6 PM: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Executive Director Rev. Mae Cannon and board member Rev. Nate Hosler will speak at the Manassas Church of the Brethren. Use this link to register. You must register in order to receive the Zoom link to watch the livestream. (No fee to participate; you can choose the free option on the CMEP registration form.)
Sunday, July 14, 1 PM Eastern ONLINE: Join the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to discuss the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. UNRWA Director of Planning Sam Rose will discuss current humanitarian conditions, the imperative of aid, the engineered famine, and infrastructure failure. UNRWA has continued to provide aid in Gaza despite the suspension of funds from a number of key donors. Sam will provide an analysis of the current conditions on the ground and discuss the urgent need for a political solution. Register at this link to join the webinar with UNRWA.
Tuesday, July 16, 6-7:30 PM: Building Christian solidarity with Palestine. This teach-in will feature Christian leaders active in the movement for Palestinian solidarity and liberation, seeking a permanent bilateral ceasefire, an end to U.S. funding for Israeli weapons, and for the liberation of Palestinians from Israel’s military occupation and apartheid. This event will highlight how Christians can embody solidarity with Palestine–including Palestinian Christians facing displacement and erasure–through delegations, protests, nonviolent direct action, advocacy, and other means. Speakers include three delegates of the recent Stones Cry Out Delegation to Palestine, a Christian solidarity delegation (February-March 2024), and other Christian faith leaders and activists involved in seeking justice, freedom, and holistic peace in Palestine. Event sponsors include Washington City Church of the Brethren, Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), Palestinian Christian Alliance for Peace (PCAP), and Pax Christi USA.
Sunday, July 21, 3-5 PM Eastern: ONLINE Voices from the Holy Land film salon: At the December 2023 Voices from the Holy Land online film salon, panelists agreed that healing from the humanitarian catastrophe first required a ceasefire and physical safety. Nearly seven months into the war, there is no ceasefire and no safety anywhere in Gaza. How can healing ever begin? What can people do now to end the trauma and support the process of recovery for survivors? At the July 2024 VfHL salon, guest conversation will center on two short documentaries: Australian Doctor Reveals Experience Inside Gaza and Gaza’s War through a Child’s Eye and an extended excerpt from the December salon. Use this link to learn more.
Wednesday, July 24, 9 AM: Churches for Middle East Peace will hold a prayer service on Capitol Hill in advance of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the U.S. Congress. Please use this link to register to attend. Livestream should be available, too. (No fee to participate; you can choose the free option on the CMEP registration form.
July 28-30, Interfaith Action for Palestine: A large interfaith coalition will gather to resist the Washington, DC convening of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the largest “pro-Israel” organization in the country. Stay tuned for more information about how to participate. Use this link to learn more and to register to participate.
US taxes fund the genocide making us complicit . Consider refusing to pay.
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