The Church of England’s General Synod voted last week to formally hear a document titled Kairos Palestine II, which was co-written by Father Fadi Diab, a prominent Palestinian Anglican priest from Ramallah. The report, published by Palestinian Christian leaders from multiple denominations, calls for a global Christian response to the war in Gaza and Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, using terminology including genocide, apartheid, and settler colonialism to describe Israeli actions.
The motion originally asked the synod to “receive” the report but was amended during debate to “hear” it instead. Sarah Mullally, the archbishop of Canterbury, stated that hearing Palestinian Christians’ experiences meant listening with compassion and standing in solidarity with them regarding injustices they face, while not necessarily endorsing every aspect of the document. Mullally described witnessing settlement expansion at unprecedented rates during a recent visit to the occupied territories and called for “new and active solidarity” in response.
Jewish leaders expressed significant concerns before and after the vote. The Board of Deputies of British Jews urged rejection of the report, contending it undermines efforts against antisemitism. Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and representatives of Progressive Judaism warned the document risked damaging Christian-Jewish dialogue. Rabbi Charley Baginsky stated that while she understood the church must address Palestinian Christian voices, the report’s language contained what she characterized as antisemitic tropes and questions core elements of Jewish history and connection to the land.
Interfaith advocates offered mixed perspectives. Georgina Bye of the Council of Christians and Jews expressed concern about the language’s lack of nuance and said the document discourages dialogue, though she welcomed the amendment from “receive” to “hear.” Richard Sewell, a canon in Jerusalem who serves as a link between the Church of England and the Palestinian Anglican community, characterized the report as a cry for help from suffering churches in the region and stated the church had a duty to hear their voices.
Diab defended the terminology in the report, stating the language reflects findings by human rights organizations and describes conditions on the ground in occupied Palestinian territories, which he characterized as worse than ever before.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI