Updated Information
The ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine took an increased turn on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked populations in Israel, killing, injuring and kidnapping Israelis. Israel retaliated, which led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people in Gaza. Many more were wounded. Millions of people have been displaced, with more than 60 percent of Gaza now in ruins. The violence in Israel and Palestine has spread to Lebanon, where thousands of people have been injured and hundreds killed after Israeli airstrikes in Beirut and numerous other parts of the country.
In an update received on October 8, 2024, the Near East School of Theology (NEST), located in Beirut, Lebanon, writes that the situation continues to deteriorate, as “Hezbollah in Lebanon began its own war campaign under the heading of ‘In Support of Gaza.’ They have launched thousands of rockets on Israel, and Israel has responded in kind.” The update continues:
On September 24, 2024, as most of our children were entering their second week of an already chaotic school year, Israel launched a series of unconventional attacks in Lebanon never seen before. Thousands of booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkie units exploded simultaneously in the hands of Hezbollah operatives (as well as non-members who happened to be there at the time of the explosions), causing the permanent blindness and maiming of thousands of Lebanese citizens.
In parallel with these unconventional attacks, the Israeli Air Force started a violent bombing campaign on villages in South Lebanon and the Bekaa and Beirut’s Southern Suburbs. They managed to assassinate dozens of top Hezbollah leaders, including General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah, on Friday 27th.
Relentless Israeli bombing and missile attacks have not ceased since. Hezbollah, as well, contrary to most people’s expectations, has continued its missile attacks on Northern Israel, as well as fighting against Israeli ground incursion at the South Lebanon border. Populations both in Israel and in Lebanon are currently enduring a reign of terror night and day.
A Security Plan is in place: Our NEST team has gone into emergency mode. We immediately put on an emergency contingency plan to ensure the safety of our students, residents, staff, and property. As of now, many of our students and faculty have had to leave the country, under pressure from their organizations and families. Most of our residents have now gone home as we all await instructions from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE).
Education has gone online: Last week, we were able to maintain some classes on-site and some online. From Wednesday, we suspended our classes to give time to faculty and students to resettle in their new locations. In line with instructions from the MEHE, we have made arrangements to go online and we are ready to do so starting Monday October 7th. We will hold a weekly Zoom meeting for our learning community all around the region to touch base, pray and worship together, and share anguish, encouragement and prayer. We will also hold a weekly faculty meeting over Zoom to resolve any technical issues, and to ensure not only continuity but also a healthy and professional learning environment online.
Amidst the storm, NEST is steadfast in its mission: Our small resilient community immediately took action in our neighborhood to practice good neighborliness. We visited the location of our partner, the National Protestant College nearby, to inquire about the wellbeing of now over 300 people housed there. We were also able to facilitate obtaining a wheelchair for a young girl with mental and physical disability at the same location.
In addition, NEST continues to provide lodging for medical staff and students at nearby American University Medical Center. We are also inquiring about the possibility of housing at NEST more emergency personnel from neighbouring institutions, who would otherwise have to commute to work under very dangerous conditions.
NEST asks that you pray with them as they consider how best to serve the community during these very difficult times:
Please Pray with us for:
- The safety of our personnel and students
- The safety of our building and properties
- The courage to be God’s hands, feet, eyes, ears, and mouth to all those around us
- A ceasefire and permanent peace solution for our country and region
- A smooth transition to online learning
If you haven’t done so already, please consider following NEST on social media at
https://www.facebook.com/NearEastSchoolofTheology (Facebook)
https://www.instagram.com/near_east_school_of_theology/ (Instagram)
Consider offering your support with a donation:
- The Olive Tree Campaign will help Palestinian farmers replant their destroyed olive orchards.
- The Defence for Children—Palestine is an organization that defends children’s rights by offering free legal aid, documenting violations of international law, and advocating for greater protection.
- PWS&D is actively responding to affected communities through its locally based, ecumenical partners, alongside other members of the ACT Alliance and Canadian Foodgrains Bank. PWS&D’s humanitarian response includes food assistance, water and sanitation support, shelter, livelihoods, and psychological help.
- Equip Christian Leaders in the Middle East: Known for its excellence in teaching and scholarship, the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon, is an ecumenical seminary that trains ministers and Christian Educators.
Prayer
Almighty God, we pray for a just peace in the lands where your son lived, preached, taught, healed and experienced firsthand the violence of an occupying power. Remembering his call to be peacemakers, we bring before you the plight of those who experience war, bombings, terror and conflict and who must flee for their lives.
We pray for the injured, the families of those who have been killed, whose children remain buried under piles of rubble and all who have lost their homes or been displaced.
Caring God, be with those suffering in Lebanon and across the Middle East. Bring healing to those who are physically wounded, emotionally traumatized or mourning the dead.
We pray for those who are anxious and have lost the few comforts and peace of mind and body they had. We pray for those who work tirelessly to help those who live the most precarious lives. We especially pray for the staff of the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches, one of our ministry partners that includes the Joint Christian Committee for Social Service in Lebanon.
Loving God, Christ, the prince of peace, called us to follow him and work to establish your politics and principles in the world you love and to work together for justice and peace. Give us the strength and courage to be faithful to his calling and engage in that task. In the Name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen.
In Lebanon, Israel’s incursion has added to the fear and anxiety of the population already overwhelmed by an ongoing economic crisis, poor infrastructure and its support for almost 2 million stateless people, many of whom had to flee Palestine in 1948 and Syria in 2011. This number does not include people from other countries torn by war and rife with injustice, violence and intolerance. As people of faith committed to truth, justice, peace and reconciliation, we join the voices in the global community calling for a just peace that begins with a sustained and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to Israel’s intensified and illegal settler violence in the West Bank, and for an immediate de-escalation of this intensifying crisis in Lebanon and Yemen.
The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Rev. Dr. Jerry Pillay, describes Israel’s missile strikes and other actions in Lebanon as “clear violations of international law” and an affront to the sovereignty of the Lebanese state.
Dr Pillay continues, “We also recall the ongoing assault on Gaza, a region that has already paid an unbearable price in civilian lives and destruction.” “The war on Gaza must end immediately, ” he said. Increasingly, UN member states and human rights organizations also call for a sustained ceasefire, naming Israel’s actions in Gaza as violations of international law and as an act of genocide. “We call for an immediate end to all violence,” he said.
The Presbyterian Church in Canada affirms that the tragic evil that comes with war and the slaughter of God’s created children must rouse us to work for peace. We affirm that God is at work when people are ashamed of the inhumanity of war and work for peace with justice. We pray for peace to him, who is the Prince of Peace. (excerpt from Living Faith 8.52, 8.53)
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