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 occupation of Palestine. The letter called for establishment of a credible path leading to a two-state solution that would enable Israelis and Palestinians to coexist peacefully with dignity and security, and proposed that Jerusalem’s status be determined through negotiation as a shared capital.
The joint statement followed Mullally’s five-day pastoral visit to the region, during which she witnessed conditions in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. The officials expressed concern about the future of indigenous Christian Palestinians in the Holy Land and characterized Gaza’s health infrastructure as experiencing catastrophic collapse. During her visit, Mullally met with Palestinians including those who had experienced settler attacks, detention without trial, and forced displacement. She participated in planting an olive tree with the Nassar family, Palestinian Christians who have resisted Israeli land seizure efforts since 1991.
In their letter, Mullally and Naoum acknowledged suffering on both sides of the conflict. They noted that in Israel, the aftermath of events on October 7 had created heightened security concerns affecting society and politics. They characterized the West Bank as experiencing unchecked settler violence, forced displacement, systemic discrimination, and expanding checkpoints that have left Palestinians impoverished and unable to effect change. The letter stated that annexation was occurring in practice if not formally, and called on the international community to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Mullally framed the regional conflicts as symptomatic of broader crises involving abandonment of international law and increased reliance on military force. During her visit, she met individuals including a Palestinian Anglican community worker recently released from military detention and parents of a Christian student held without charge. The Church of England’s General Synod is scheduled to debate a motion regarding investment policies in the region, with church officials characterizing the discussion as centered on justice and human dignity for all people.
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