Holy Land: Call for prayer for Nassar Family and Tent of Nations

Inscription reads: WE REFUSE TO BE ENEMIES - Photo: Emma Halgren/WCC

Source: CMEP

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) have called for prayer for the Nassar Family and the Tent of Nations after a horrific attack took place yesterday. On the afternoon of January 28th, a large group of masked men carrying sticks and iron bars attacked Daoud and Daher Nassar when Daoud was feeding the chickens. A friend of the Tent of Nations witnessed the attack, and the attackers fled when they saw her.

CMEP staff met with Daoud and family members at the hospital after the incident. Daoud suffered head wounds and had surgery including several stitches. Daoud and Daher's bodies were significantly bruised and with lacerations. Neither had broken bones, and neither had a concussion. They are expected to be discharged from Bethlehem Hospital today.

CMEP affirms the rights of the Nassar Family to their land and condemns all forms of violence including threats and actions from both Palestinians and neighbouring settlement communities. CMEP's executive director says: "We are devastated to hear the news of the attack on Daoud and Daher. The Nassar family embodies holistic peacebuilding in profound ways, even suffering physical threats to their own lives and safety. Over and over again they seek peace with their neighbours despite decades of demolitions, threats, and attacks. CMEP and I personally are doing everything we can to keep the US government informed and to call on the Palestinian Authority to enact the rule of law in response to the perpetrators of this vicious attack."

The organic farm is known as the Tent of Nations or 'Daher's Vineyard' has been owned by the Nassar Family since the time of the Ottoman Empire. The land stretches one hundred acres and is situated 9k southwest of Bethlehem. Since 1991, the family has been fighting a legal battle to keep a hold of the land since it was classified as 'Israeli State Land' and thus threatened with confiscation. The struggle is ongoing and there remains a pending case related to registration on May 2, 2022. As a Christian Palestinian family, the motto of the Tent of Nations continues to be "We Refuse to Be Enemies" and through a commitment to peaceful resistance and solidarity with those who have visited, much has been achieved. Tent of Nations continues to work to protect and develop the farm as a place where people can meet, learn, work together, and inspire one another.

CMEP stands with the Tent of Nations. We call for your prayers and will continue to keep people informed about the most effective ways to advocate.

Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a coalition of 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.