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The European Union and the United States have condemned Israeli plans for the construction of 1,100 new housing units in occupied East Jerusalem as being counterproductive to negotiations on peace talks with the Palestinians. They responded sharply to the Israeli interior ministry's announcement on Tuesday that it had approved plans for the new housing units in Gilo, an illegal settlement enclave in southeast Jerusalem. The ministry said construction could begin after a mandatory 60-day period for public comment, a process that is largely a formality. Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said that the settlement plans were ‘counter-productive to our efforts to resume direct negotiations between the parties’. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, condemned the Israeli decision, saying it amounted to ‘1,100 no's to the resumption of peace talks’. He urged the US to change its position and support the Palestinians in their quest for full UN membership.
Pray: for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli/Palestinian situation, with acceptable boundaries and a lasting cease-fire.(2Ch.7:14).
More: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/201192851113137636.html
The UN will be voting on a resolution to grant Palestine (the West Bank and the Gaza Strip) statehood on September 20, 2011. As the vote approaches, violence against Israel is on the rise. On a single day in August 2011, terrorists armed with bombs and guns attacked buses, cars and army patrols, killing seven. Terrorists fired more than 80 rockets into Israel the weekend of August 20 and 21. These attacks have been ongoing with dozens of missiles hitting Israel each day. In response, Israel began air raids, bombing targets in the Gaza Strip. On September 20, the UN General Assembly will vote on whether or not to allow the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to become member nations. Even if the vote is in favour of membership for the territories, it could still be vetoed by the UN Security Council.
Pray: for Christians globally to understand that the most important resolution is for everyone in the land to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray for the will of the King of all nations to be done. (Je.10:7)
A Palestinian was killed by Israeli air strikes on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Wednesday as Israeli and Palestinian leaders were set to hold peace talks in Jerusalem. (See Prayer Alert 3610) One man was killed and two others wounded by strikes carried out on smuggling tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border, Palestinian medics and security officials said. The raids followed a morning of Palestinian rocket and mortar fire into Israel and came ahead of a new round of peace talks vehemently opposed by Gaza's militant Hamas rulers. The Israeli military confirmed that aircraft attacked tunnels but gave no details. One rocket and eight mortar rounds had earlier been fired from Gaza, a military spokeswoman said, with the rocket striking near the port city of Ashkelon. The Popular Resistance Committees, a small militant group, claimed responsibility for the attacks and like Hamas is also strongly opposes peace talks with Israel. Pray: that God will bring reconciliation and peace and bless the work of peace-makers. (Nu.10:9) More: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jNE1lJtr1YzBKuhnaQxovjygI26A
Women of Iraq have suffered the pain of three wars in 32 years. As a result 9% of Iraqi women are widows. Often the younger recently widowed women with only one or two children find new husbands. But for older widows and those having more children remarriage is rare and sometimes impossible. Several foreign governments actively helped the widows while their military forces were in Iraq. The Iraqi government itself has also made efforts to help the women, but the sheer scale of the problem is overwhelming for government agencies and their budgets. One can imagine the distress of women who have lost their husbands in a society which restricts female work and social activities. Having enough well-paying work to raise a family is beyond their ability, for many. A number have even turned to short or long term prostitution.
Pray: for a workable network of administration of resources to be created for orphans and widows. (Ja.1:27) Pray also during Ramadan for the people of Iraq to meet Jesus Christ (John 17:3).
More: http://www.30-days.net/muslims/muslims-in/mid-near-east/iraqi-widows/
Since the withdrawal of troops from Iraq a series of deadly attacks have threatened the political stability of the nation. The government’s strategy is to make peace with as many insurgent groups as possible – including Asaib Ahl al-Haq an Iranian-backed militia. The government welcomed Asaib Ahl al-Haq into its political system and experts say this could ‘tilt the nation’s centre of gravity closer to Iran.’ Asaib Ahl al-Haq operated in Iraq during the nine-year war bombing military convoys and bases, assassinating dozens of Iraqi officials, and tried to carry out kidnappings even as the last NATO forces were leaving the region. Many believe welcoming Asaib Ahl al-Haq (which has an almost nonexistent track record of peace) could backfire and hand Tehran greater influence. Please pray for the leadership void in Iraq to be filled with men and women who will govern with integrity, in humility and the fear of the Lord.
Pray: for Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to have wisdom in all his leadership decisions and for Christians to be used by God in stabilising the nation. (Pr.1:7&Jos.1:7)
More: http://win1040.com/blog/2012/01/09/iraq-welcomes-iranian-malitia/
A wave of bombings across Iraq including 10 locations in Baghdad has killed 83 people and wounded nearly 300, Iraqi police say. Many of the dead in the Iraqi capital were Shia pilgrims gathering for a religious festival. In Hilla, two car bombs exploded near a restaurant, killing at least 21 people. There has been a wave of attacks on the Shia community in recent days, as it marks the anniversary of the death of Shia Imam Moussa al-Kadhim. Three bombs exploded in Kirkuk, with one of them targetting the headquarters of Kurdish President Massoud Barzani. There are also reports of bombs in Mosul, Balad, and Karbala. Violence in Iraq has fallen since the sectarian killings of a few years ago, but militants still frequently attack security forces and civilians. Wednesday has been one of the deadliest days of violence since the foreign troops withdrew from Iraq last December.
Pray: that the violence across Iraq would cease and that Sunni, Shia and Kurdish communities would seek peace. (Gen.6:11-12)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18420488
On Wednesday a series of co-ordinated bombings during the rush hour in mainly Shia neighbourhoods of Baghdad killed more than 50 people and wounded dozens more. Violence has increased in recent months amid heightened tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslims. More than 4,000 civilians have been killed and 10,000 more have been wounded so far this year, with Baghdad province worst hit. In July 1,057 civilians were killed - making it the deadliest month in Iraq for years. The authorities have stepped up security operations in Baghdad but they seem unable to stop the growing intensity of violence now back to a level not seen for five years. No group has admitted carrying out the bombings, but many believe they have been carried out by Sunni militants. Correspondents say deep-rooted sectarian tensions have been aggravated by the civil war in neighbouring Syria.
Pray: the international response to Syria’s crisis in the coming days will not fuel further Sunni Shia hostility in Iraq. Pray for their hostilities to tbe harnessed. (Gen.16:12)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23861541
‘Most refugees who have returned to Iraq have since regretted their move after finding that they faced persistent threats to their security’ a UN refugee agency said on Tuesday. The survey found 34% said they were uncertain whether they would stay permanently in Iraq and would consider seeking asylum in neighbouring countries once again if conditions do not improve. Returnees highlighted instances of ‘explosions, harassment, military operations and kidnapping’ as evidence of the insecurity. But many also said they had been forced to return to Iraq because they could no longer afford the high cost of living in asylum countries. More than three-quarters of returnees did not go back to their original place of residence but sought shelter with their relatives, friends or rented other accommodation. Pray: that Christians in Iraq have opportunities to come alongside those searching for security and hope. (Jer.31:17)
Three car bombs exploded in quick succession killing at least six people and wounded 75 in Iraq’s oil-rich northern city of Kirkuk on Wednesday. Explosions were aimed at police and Kurdish security forces in the latest of a series of attacks by insurgents as U.S. troops prepare to withdraw by the end of this year. The area is on high alert. Kirkuk is a disputed city even though Iraq’s violence has declined since 2006-07. Kirkuk sits on rich oil reserves and is one of the disputed territories at the centre of tensions between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraq’s central government; bombings still occur daily by Sunni insurgents and Shiite militia. Iraq has been experiencing an exodus of Christians following attacks. A Kirkuk resident said, ‘How long will this unstable situation last. We call on the state to take tough security measures against such incidents happening again.The victims are poor people.’
Pray: for God’s protection over His people, and for wisdom, and perseverance for the security forces supporting US troop’s withdrawal. (Ps.9:16)
More: http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2011/02/09/17206356.html
A suicide bomber rammed an ambulance packed with explosives into a security headquarters in central Iraq, killing 13 people. Firaz al-Dulaimi, a hospital doctor, said a further 64 people were wounded in the attack, which targeted an office of the Force Protection Service, the agency responsible for securing Iraq’s government buildings. The attack occurred at around 10:00 am on Wednesday in the middle of a restive ethnically-mixed city north of Baghdad called Baquba, and came a day after a suicide bomber killed 50 people at a police recruitment centre in the central city of Tikrit. Baquba is the capital of Diyala province, which was an Al-Qaeda stronghold as recently as 2008. While violence has dropped off dramatically both in Diyala and nationwide since then, the province remains one of Iraq's least secure. Pray: for reconciliation to be achieved in all the various areas of conflict; and for God’s people to be used in the spiritual and physical rebuilding of the country. (Jer.24:6)