Sarah Mullally, head of the Church of England, and Hosam Naoum, the Anglican archbishop of Jerusalem, issued a joint letter urging Anglicans worldwide to pressure politicians toward ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The letter advocated for a two-state solution that would allow Israelis and Palestinians to coexist with dignity and security, with Jerusalem’s status determined through negotiation as a shared capital.
Mullally’s call came after a five-day pastoral visit to the region in which she witnessed conditions affecting Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. During the visit, she met with Palestinian Christians, including community worker Layan Nasir and the parents of student Natalie Abu Dayeh, both of whom had been detained by Israeli military forces. Mullally also met with the Nassar family, Palestinian Christians who have resisted attempts to seize their land since 1991 and faced repeated settler attacks, planting an olive tree with them as a symbolic gesture.
In their letter, Mullally and Naoum expressed concern about the declining presence of indigenous Christian Palestinians in the Holy Land and described Gaza’s health system as experiencing catastrophic collapse. They characterized the situation in the West Bank as involving unchecked settler violence, forced displacement, systemic discrimination, and expanding checkpoints that have left Palestinians impoverished and powerless. Regarding Israel, they acknowledged the trauma from events on 7 October and described a state of heightened sensitivity to security threats.
Mullally framed the Middle East conflicts as symptomatic of deeper political and spiritual crises marked by abandonment of international law and increased reliance on military force. Church of England officials indicated the visit aimed to encourage Palestinian Christians amid reports of communities being forced from their land and rapid expansion of settlements in the West Bank. The Church of England’s General Synod is scheduled to debate a motion regarding investment policies in the region next month, with church leadership framing the discussion around justice and human dignity for all people.
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