It’s Monday morning, the beginning of the work week for those who are not yet retired, and as we open our computers or tablets, or however we get the news of the day, most of brace of what we will read. Who wants to start Monday with stories of the horror in the world? None, but read them we must for truth dies in scrolling past what upsets us.
Yesterday’s piece by Nicholas Kristof, the Times journalist, should give us more than pause as he described the physical and sexual abuse of Palestinians, including children, by Israeli settlers, soldiers, and prison guards. Save the Children, hardly a radical group, released a report stating that at least half the children in Israeli detention had either witnessed or experienced sexual abuse. To say this is beyond the pale is an understatement.
Reporting on Israeli government policies or “settler” destruction of Palestinian homes is not anti-Semitic. And to use that term is simply a government’s way of trying to silence criticism of a government bent on destroying the possibility of a Palestinian state. And, of course, while our government says it abhors anti-Semitism, it continues to cater to right–wing groups who are Neo-Nazis in disguise.
Prayer for the Day
We confess, O Lord, that we are unsettled,
As we learn of events we do not want to hear;
We chafe at what you call us to do, O God,
For we fear our actions may be misinterpreted.
Forgive us and move us to extending your care for all
Especially those whom we have been taught to fear.
In the name of the One who shows us how to live, `
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The research results of this report found at least 16 cases of conflict-related sexual violence attributed to Israeli settlers and soldiers. These cases form part of a broader pattern of sexualised harassment, intimidation and humiliation, much of which remains underreported.
Norwegian Refugee Council, Sexual Violence & Forcible Transfer in the West
Bank: How the Exploitation of Gender Dynamics Drives Displacement
The children’s descriptions of sexual violence the children spoke of included being touched or hit on the genitals, being forced to perform humiliating acts while stripped, sexual harassment including threats, and sexual assault.
Save the Children, “Tortured”: The Escalating Abuse of Palestinian Children in
Military Detention (September 2025)
Rise up, O Lord; O God, life up your hand; do not forget the oppressed
Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts,
“You will not call us to account”?
But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands;
The helpless commit themselves to you
You have been the helper of the orphan.
Psalm 10: 12-14