Kairos Palestine – Easter Appeal 2024

Easter Alert

This year’s Easter Appeal from Kairos Palestine is presented against the background of the continuing genocidal war in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank. The message includes

• Current realities in Palestine
• The work of three Palestinian organisation that are active in Gaza
• An Easter message by Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah
• A personal appeal for action and a prayer by the General Secretary of Kairos Palestine, Rifat Kassis

Please feel free to share this message from Palestine with friends and within your church communities.

Letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury

The Kairos Ireland Easter alert expresses dismay that some Christians are still supporting the disastrous military action by Israel in Gaza. Earlier this year the Archbishop of Canterbury declined to meet with Pastor Munther Isaac of the Bethlehem Christmas Church, who was visiting London. Munther had spoken on the same platform as Jeramy Corbyn along with others and the archbishop used this as the reason for refusing to meet this Palestinian Christian leader. The retired Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, Bishop Riah, wrote a firmly worded letter to the archbishop, who subsequently did meet Munther Isaac in Palestine. Justin Welby has apologised for his earlier refusal to meet a fellow Palestinian Christian and acknowledged the suffering of the Palestinian people. 

Anatomy of Genocide (UN report)

On Tuesday (26th March 2024) Francesca Albanese delivered her fourth report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in her capacity as the UN Special Rapporteur for Palestine. With her background as an international human rights lawyer, she outlines why the six-month assault on Gaza by Israel qualifies to be described as genocide. The report said more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 13,000 children, while 12,000 people are missing, presumed dead, and 71,000 have been injured. It says 70 per cent of homes have been destroyed and 80 per cent of the population has been displaced, while thousands have been detained.

This link to the UN News report includes a full YouTube recording of the speech delivered by Francesca Albanese to the Human Rights Council. It heightens the case for Ireland to take concrete action to prevent genocide.