Displaying items by tag: Middle East

The only Arabic Christian television broadcaster in Lebanon is airing special live programming, reassuring shell-shocked viewers after the huge Beirut explosion on 4 August. The next day, SAT-7 broadcast a special Arabic-language programme - the Pain and Hope. Local Christian leaders Rev Dr Hikmat Kashouh and Dr Nabil Costa offered reassurance to viewers, and prayed live on air for the families of those killed in the explosion, for those who are missing, and for the injured. Christian TV programmes will continue to provide a platform for grieving and traumatised viewers in Lebanon to find comfort and seek prayer in the disaster aftermath, while continuing to minister to a country beset by political strife, economic collapse, hunger, and social unrest. Lebanese people are looking for others to stand with them grief and in prayer in the wake of this catastrophe. Christian broadcasting offers genuine hope.

Beirut rescue operations continue following a massive explosion on 4 August, causing indescribable damage in a mostly Christian part of the city. The death toll is currently 137 with 5,000 injured. Totals are expected to rise. Ask God to disperse the trauma covering the area and for a spirit of healing to be released. Beirut is in a two-week state of emergency. Pray for God’s enabling strength for rescuers searching for hundreds of people still missing. May they find survivors, not bodies. Pray for comfort for those mourning the dead and for those still waiting for news of the missing. Pray for the 300,000 homeless people currently in shock with no shelter. May there be a united effort by the international community to organise medical supplies, food, shelter, beds, clothes, manpower and financial aid for structure repairs. Amnesty International called for international investigations into the blast that are ‘free from domestic political interference’, to ensure ‘truth, justice, and reparations for victims.’

Following the huge explosion in Beirut on 4 August, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is sending an emergency food package worth £226,000 from the UK. The Christian quarter of the city was the worst affected by deaths and damage, so the bishops, the clergy, and the lay faithful asked ACN for assistance. Christian communities, churches and other buildings are going to need a lot of repair. At least ten churches and immeasurable livelihoods were destroyed by the blast. In one second, more damage was done to this area of Beirut than throughout the long years of the civil war. It will have to be built again from the ground up. John Pontifex from ACN said, ‘We call on Jesus to bring healing and to bring a sense of reconciliation because in so many ways this particular explosion has drawn attention to the problems of government and accusations of neglect at the very least. There's a whole sense of healing needed at every level and a chance to rebuild. So literally, the call should be, Lord, help us rebuild, help us recover, help us find a new way to get through this terrible, terrible time.’

US extends national emergency for Lebanon citing Hezbollah 'threat'

The order, renewed by every president since 2007, alleges that Hezbollah remains an 'extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy' of the US

US President Donald Trump has renewed a 13-year national emergency order over the political situation in Lebanon, citing Iran's "ongoing" weapons transfers to Hezbollah.

The order ensures the legal grounds for the US president to levy sanctions and "to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States" due to Hezbollah's presence in Lebanon, a statement released by the White House on Wednesday said.

The administration said "certain persons" - alluding to members of Hezbollah and its allies - were seeking to undermine the Lebanese government.

Lebanon has been dealing with several crises during the past year, from the coronavirus pandemic to a plummeting economy and recent skirmishes with the Israeli army on its southern border.

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, is a major political party in Lebanon and consolidated its influence in the state's affairs in 2018 after winning, along with its allies, a small majority in national elections. The US designated Hezbollah a "foreign terrorist group" in 1997.

Despite Hezbollah's growing influence within the Lebanese government, the White House's order alleged "certain persons" were deliberately working to "break down" the rule of law in Lebanon "through politically motivated violence and intimidation".

"Certain ongoing activities, such as Iran's continuing arms transfers to Hizballah - which include increasingly sophisticated weapons systems - serve to undermine Lebanese sovereignty, contribute to political and economic instability in the region, and continue to constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to [US] national security and foreign policy," the White House said. 

Washington is particularly concerned by those allegedly seeking to "reassert Syrian control or contribute to Syrian interference in Lebanon", the order said.

The annual move, entitled "Continuation of National Emergency with Respect to Lebanon", has been renewed every year since it was declared by former President George W Bush in 2007.

Bush's order said the United States would freeze the property and assets of anyone trying to undermine Lebanon’s democratically elected government. The order, renewed by every presidential administration since, was seen as a sharp warning to Hezbollah and its allies in Syria.

Wednesday's order reiterates the same concerns the Bush administration issued 13 years ago, with an increased concern over Iran, given its recent tensions with Washington. 

The US currently has 35 ongoing "national emergencies", seven of which have been declared by Trump. The orders range from sanctions against foreign entities and governments, to the White House's emergency declaration at the US southern border.  At least nine of the orders name specific countries or groups in the Middle East and North Africa.

Hezbollah says all-out war with Israel is unlikely in coming months despite rising tensions https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/hezbollah-dismisses-prospect-all-out-conflict-israel-despite-increasing-tensions

More at: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-extends-national-emergency-for-lebanon-citing-hezbollah-threat

We are asked to pray for the Prime Minister and all Ministers in Lebanese Government at this critical time and for the nation.  Here are some guidelines provided by our colleagues at Prayer Strategy as to what we can pray for

1. Pray for their salvation.
2. Pray for them for pure lives and good wisdom.
3. Pray that God reveals His truth and opens their eyes to run this nation with integrity and respect.
4. Pray to Break the strongholds of the Evil One in politics and in individual’s lives.
5. Pray that leaders will realise that they were appointed by God and that He gave them authority so that they will act responsibly and that they will they will have to
give account to God of everything that they do.

Many of the ministers are listed here, with brief profiles: https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/who-are-the-ministers-in-lebanons-new-government-1.69174412  

Following an attempted cross-border attack on 27 July by Hezbollah, Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Benny Gantz addressed the nation, threatening the Lebanese terror group and its host nations with a decisive counter-strike. ‘Hezbollah is playing with fire. Any attack against us will be met with great strength,’ said Netanyahu. Lowering his face mask, Gantz also addressed reporters, stating, ‘Israel is determined to prevent any threat to our sovereignty, our soldiers, and of course our citizens.’ They spoke after Hezbollah operatives tried to breach the Israel-Lebanon border, exchanging fire with IDF troops during an hour-long stand-off. We can pray, according to Psalm 44, for God to deliver His people from their oppressors, and put to shame those who hate Israel. May Israel praise God all day long and give thanks for ever.

On 11 July the UN approved a new round of cross-border aid to Syria through the Turkish border into militant-controlled Idlib province - providing one year of foreign aid to the northwest region of Syria and critical supplies to over one million Syrians. Millions more civilians within opposition-controlled areas rely heavily on such aid to survive. Throughout the war Syrian Christians have played a vital role within their communities, providing a lifeline to those in need. Many of them are within government-controlled areas, which are more heavily impacted by sanctions. If foreign aid to these areas was abolished, it would limit the resources used by Christians to provide hope to their communities. Pray for the international Christian community to seek new ways to bring about resolution and peace in this war-weary nation.

‘Annexation’ is actually Israel extending its civil rule over areas that are under its military rule. Whether Israel does this over a small area of what is in President Trump's peace plan, or over all of it, makes no substantive difference to nations and international organisations who are angry about what Israel might do. As this process drags on, it gets more confusing and the headlines become more depressing. Lord, guide Israel to know how you want them to pray and act so that You alone receive the glory (Psalm 115:1-3). The IDF and Israel's other security forces are preparing for an increase of violence over annexation. It is not known if this will lead to another intifada with many deaths, or just a brief display of anger followed by a let's-go-back-to-work attitude from the Palestinians. Currently the security forces are stopping an average of three terror attacks a day.

The main coronavirus hospital in Lebanon has been forced to close operating rooms and delay surgeries amid lengthy power cuts caused by a spiralling economic crisis. Dr Firass Abiad said Lebanon’s largest public healthcare facility was ‘barely making ends meet’ and running out of fuel to power generators for power cuts now lasting 15 hours. Despite soaring summer temperatures the hospital has turned off air-conditioning units in the administrative offices and in the corridors to ensure wards and intensive care units can be cooled, as they treat over 90% of the country’s two thousand confirmed coronavirus cases. He warned that if the crippling power cuts continue, the hospital would have just enough fuel to man the generators for three weeks. The crisis at the hospital is part of the fallout of an unprecedented financial crisis and deteriorating economic conditions in the country.

Oil pollution accumulates in the air, in the soil, and in people’s bodies. When it reaches a certain level, it causes illness or death. The Kurds of northeast Syria were valiant against IS, but today they face a potentially even more deadly scourge, putting the lives of four million local residents at risk. Syria’s contested crude oil is leaking from dilapidated pipelines and contaminating rivers and streams. When the rivers flood, as they did in April, they spread their poison over agricultural crops, just as thousands of rudimentary refineries belch their own toxic fumes into the air. Sporadic protests have resulted in makeshift refineries being shut down, only for them to pop up elsewhere. Locals in affected areas say that many dangerous illnesses caused by the pollution are multiplying. Residents requested anonymity, fearing retribution from authorities - a telling sign of how caustic the danger is.

The UN chief called on the world to step up “financial, humanitarian and political commitments”, to help end nearly a decade of brutal conflict and suffering across Syria, in a video message delivered to the fourth Brussels Donor Conference on Tuesday.

“After nearly a decade of war and economic hardship, the scale of suffering remains shocking”, said Secretary-General António Guterres.

The conference received pledges of $5.5 billion in funding, to support humanitarian, resilience and development activities in 2020, and $2.2 billion for crisis response in 2021 and beyond.  In addition, multilateral development banks and bilateral donors pledged up to $6.7 billion in loans.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed; half the pre-war population, or over 12 million Syrians, are displaced, including 5.6 million who fled the country; millions are going hungry or are malnourished; and 90 per cent of the population lives in poverty. 

And all of this is being further compounded by the coronavirus. 

UN in solidarity 

Currently over 11 million Syrians need emergency assistance just to survive, many of whom rely solely on the UN and its humanitarian partners.  “We provide life-saving food, healthcare, sanitation facilities, education and protection services, to millions of Syrians every month”, the UN chief said. “We help to address their trauma and provide legal advice so they can start to rebuild their lives” – all of which depends on “generous” donor support. 

Since only “a political solution can end the suffering in Syria”, he urged “all those with influence” to help Syrians find common ground.  

Downward spiral

Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock noted that the Syrian crisis is “approaching the length of the combination” of the two World Wars, as it wreaks havoc and acute economic strain across the region.

He painted a gloomy picture of the Syrian economy in “a dramatic downturn” with prices of essential food, medicines and fuel “soaring” as the Syrian pound “fell to a record low against the US dollar this month”. 

The UN official cited estimates from the World Food Programme (WFP) in revealing that an “unprecedented level” of 9.3 million people there are food insecure and almost half a million children suffer from stunting, a consequence of malnutrition.

“And now we have COVOID-19, which has the potential to cause much more suffering and loss, with preparations to tackle it inside Syria wholly inadequate in the light of the degrading of the health system through the years of crisis”, added the humanitarian coordinator. 

Mr. Lowcock elaborated on how the UN was supporting the situation on the ground, including by providing food assistance to more than 3.2 million people; nutrition support for half a million children; critical water and sanitation for 1.3 million people; and four million medical procedures.

“The humanitarian assistance we provide across Syria and in the region depends on the generous support of the States and constituencies represented here”, he flagged.

Stolen educations

Noting that “one of the most tragic consequences of the horror story of the last decade has been the robbing of millions of children of their right to a decent education”, he foresaw major long-term consequences, “for more than fifty years”. 

“One of the major challenges is funding”, Mr. Lowcock said and asked donors to prioritize pledges to the education of these children, saying it is “in your own interests, but most importantly in theirs”.  

‘Unlocking’ a political process

Syrian Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen reiterated his call for “a nationwide ceasefire”, along with the need to be vigilant about COVID-19, the importance of resolution 2254, which calls for a ceasefire and political settlement,  and the challenges posed by groups listed as terrorists by the Security Council. 

Moreover, he again appealed for the Syrian Government and other parties to “carry out large-scale, unilateral releases of detainees and abductees, and meaningful actions on the missing persons”.   Mr. Pedersen expressed his hope that the Syrian-led, Syrian-owned Constitutional Committee facilitated by the UN in Geneva “will be able to meet on a regular basis throughout the rest of the year”. 

Acknowledging that a constitutional discussion would not address the full range of dire realities Syrians grapple with, he maintained that the Committee’s work can be “a door-opener to unlock a broader political process”

Pray: For a negotiated ceasefire and a political settlement.
Pray: With thanks for the pledges of loans and donations to support the humanitarian aid, education and covid-19 relief efforts.  May further funds be released to scale up all of these initiatives.
Pray: for the organisations delivering the aid and medical assistance, for protection, good health and free access to those who need their help.
Pray: For the many people who have been displaced by this war, that they will find safe refuge amidst the challenges and hardships.
Pray: for the UN and countries with influence, that they will bring about lasting peace to Syria and the region.

More: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/06/1067482