Weekly Action - 31 January 2024 - Middle East Tensions

Middle East tensions

Tensions are growing dangerously right across the Middle East this week following the deaths of three US soldiers in a drone attack by Iranian backed Shia militia groups in Jordan on Sunday 28 January. US bases in Iraq, Syria and Jordan have been attacked around 150 times since the conflict in Gaza began. Meanwhile in the Red Sea, dozens of ships have been targeted by Iranian backed Houthi Shia rebel pirates, ostensibly in retaliation for the conflict in Gaza, because they were heading to Israel, or linked to Israel in some way. This has prompted US and UK strikes on Houthi rebels in turn. In Lebanon, Iranian backed Hezbollah Shia militia continue to strike across the border into Israel almost daily since the conflict in Gaza began. There are similar tensions on the borders with the Palestinian West Bank too.

And of course the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza continues. More than 26,000 Palestinians have now been killed and over 65,000 injured since the conflict began following the horrific Hamas (also backed by Iran) led incursion into Israel on 7 October.^[1] Some 218 Israeli soldiers have been killed and over 1,200 injured during the same period, and more than 130 Israeli hostages remain in captivity. The conflict in Gaza has rapidly turned into one of the world’s worst humanitarian tragedies with widespread destruction. More than 85% of the population have fled their homes. There is very limited humanitarian access. Even Israel’s closest allies says the action is hugely disproportionate and urge a much more restrained and proportionate response. The World Food Programme reports the diary of one of their staff members, Hind Khoudary, on daily life in Gaza, “We have officially run out of food. We went to the market to look for something to eat and returned with cucumbers. We are drained, dehydrated, starving and cold. People in Gaza city do not even have the freedom to search for food. Anyone who moves would be risking their lives. Neighbours have opened their doors to share whatever they have between them. Now that the middle area of Gaza has been cut off, no aid has entered. People were asking to move but we have no way to leave and nowhere to go. The situation has been devastating more than ever. We are starving. We are trapped. We are under non-stop explosions, airstrikes, artillery shelling, gunboat fire … We have no access to water - even dirty water - electricity, food, nothing.”^[2]

Action for peace

In the face of regimes in Israel, Hamas and Iran that are committed to further military action and show little desire for peace, compromise and negotiation, how should western nations act to defuse tensions and promote peace, whilst avoiding making things worse? As Christians, we know that God loves every person in the region, is heartbroken by every tragedy, and wants to see lasting peace. As we read in Isaiah, we long for the day when “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Isa: 2: 4) The Arise Manifesto (Arise’s big picture, researched, Biblical, holistic and practical vision for a better world) contains multiple lessons from the Bible and from history, on what works best to end conflict (Arise Manifesto, pg 89 – 90, 129 – 136), reduce the widespread poverty which drives so much violence (Arise Manifesto, pg 142 – 204) and help grow greater respect for human rights and democracy (Arise Manifesto, pg 79 – 88, 102 – 124).

Will you take action as part of Arise’s Reform Movements campaign this week, to urge western nations to apply pressure in ways that will promote peace, development and democracy in the Middle East, and defuse tensions rather than inflame them?

Take Action

Speak out in advocacy

Email your MP in your own words asking them to take urgent action to urge the UK government to ensure:

Any use of force by the UK, US or other western nations (for example to take out drones and missiles, or prevent attacks on shipping in the Red Sea) must be extremely limited, proportionate and not risk escalation into wider conflict.
Extreme diplomatic pressure, and where necessary targeted sanctions, should be put on all groups and nations involved in hostilities across the region to end conflict and begin peaceful negotiations. This should include treating all sides and factions the same and responding with pressure to all incidents of violence and abuses of human rights equally, rather than taking any one particular side. Otherwise western pressure is completely undermined by what is seen as hypocrisy and double standards.
Scaled up humanitarian support is provided to all communities that have suffered violence across the region.
Support for the demands of ordinary people in many countries across the region, such as Iran, who themselves want to see their own governments being more democratic and much better respecters of human rights. But, only in ways those people movements want, that help add pressure rather than causing more harm than good.

Find your MP, and their email address here. Include your postal address in your email, so your MP knows you are one of their constituents and knows where to reply to you.

Pray

Pray for people across the Middle East. Pray for an end to conflict by all groups and nations, the protection of all civilians on all sides, and for all those who are injured and have lost loved ones. Pray for humanitarian access, and for a meaningful peace process to re-start in Israel/Palestine and the wider region. Pray for an end to Iranian funding and support for militant groups across the Middle East, and for reform in Iran and across the region. Pray for western nations, that they will engage with compassion, wisdom and humility.

Give

Give to Christian organisations like Cafod, Christian Aid, Tearfund or World Vision who work in countries across the region to support those who suffer in brutal conflicts.

Practical Action

Reach out to friends and neighbours in your community with roots and family in the Middle East. How have they and their families been affected? How can you and your church support them?

Encourage us and others by letting us know what actions you have taken – message us at info@ariseuk.org, or via Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

Find out more

It’s great to take this action as individual Christians, but even better to come together with others to pray, discuss, worship, learn, have fun and take action together. Contact Arise if you are interested in joining or starting a local Arise group in your church or area.

Find out more in the Arise Manifesto, Arise’s big picture, researched, Biblical, holistic and practical vision for a better world. It looks at what the Bible says, and what we can learn from the best data and the world’s leading experts on the five major areas of evangelism, discipleship, social justice, development and the environment. It then draws these lessons together into a practical road map for the changes we need to see in our world, which the Arise movement campaigns to achieve.

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[1] Hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel, Reliefweb, (28 Jan 2024), https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/hostilities-gaza-strip-and-israel-flash-update-104#:~:text=Between%20the%20afternoons%20of%2026%20January%20and%2028%20January%2C%20no,according%20to%20the%20Israeli%20military

[2] Diary from Gaza, WFP, (12 Dec 2023), https://www.wfp.org/stories/diary-gaza-if-death-doesnt-come-airstrikes-it-will-come-starvation