Ecumenical Church Group Issues Alert about Dangers Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are Facing
CMEP Urges Churches to “Hear the Cry of the Palestinian Church” in New Kairos Palestine Easter AlertWashington DC, April 01, 2026: Churches for Middle East Peace is encouraging churches, faith leaders, and individuals across the United States and around the world to read, reflect on, and wrestle with the newly released “Kairos Palestine Easter Alert 2026” from Kairos Palestine.
As Christians prepare to enter Holy Week, the Easter Alert offers a sobering and deeply theological reflection on what it means to live in a prolonged “Holy Saturday”, a time of suffering, uncertainty, and waiting, in the context of ongoing violence and displacement in Palestine.
CMEP invites the global Church to hear the cry of the Palestinian Church not as a distant political statement, but as a faithful witness from fellow members of the Body of Christ.
“This is a moment for listening,” said CMEP’s Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, “The Kairos Palestine Easter Alert is both a lament and a call, a document that challenges us to engage deeply, to wrestle with difficult truths, and to consider what faithful discipleship requires in response.”
The Alert raises urgent concerns about the future of Christianity in the land of its birth, pointing to the pressures facing historic communities in places such as Taybeh, Beit Sahour, and Gaza City. Through personal testimonies and theological reflection, it speaks to the realities of displacement, insecurity, and diminishing space for indigenous Christian life.
While recognizing that Christians around the world hold a diversity of perspectives, CMEP emphasizes the importance of engaging directly with voices from the region. CMEP issued a statement of support for Kairos II which can be found here: Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) upon the Release of Kairos Palestine 2.
CMEP encourages churches to incorporate the themes and testimonies of the Easter Alert into their Holy Week observances as a way of deepening understanding and fostering meaningful connections with the realities faced by Christians in the Holy Land.
CMEP urges all who read the document to do so with humility, openness, and a willingness to be challenged and then to prayerfully respond in faith and action.
You can find the full Easter Alert HERE - https://kairospalestine.ps/images/Kairos_Palestine_Easter_Alert_2026.pdf
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Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a coalition of more than 30 national church communions and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical traditions that works to encourage US policies that actively promote a comprehensive resolution to conflicts in the Middle East with a focus on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. CMEP works to mobilize US Christians to embrace a holistic perspective and to be advocates of equality, human rights, security, and justice for Israelis, Palestinians, and all people of the Middle East.
Source - CMEP Email Release
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