The Church of England’s General Synod voted last week to formally hear Kairos Palestine II, a report written by Palestinian Christian leaders including Father Fadi Diab from Ramallah. The document characterizes Israeli actions using terminology including genocide, apartheid, and settler colonialism, and calls for an urgent global Christian response to the war in Gaza and Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.
The motion passed among all three houses of the General Synod after being amended during debate. Originally phrased to ask synod to “receive” the report, the language was changed to “hear” it instead. Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally stated that hearing Palestinian Christians’ experiences did not constitute endorsement of every aspect of the report, but rather meant listening with compassion and standing in solidarity with them regarding injustices they face.
Jewish leaders, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the UK’s Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, urged rejection of the report prior to the debate. They argued the document goes beyond criticism of Israeli government policy and military operations to question Zionism and Jewish historical connection to the land. Jewish organizations contended the language contained antisemitic elements and risked damaging Christian-Jewish relations built over decades. However, some Jewish voices acknowledged the importance of hearing Palestinian Christian perspectives while expressing concerns about the specific framing employed.
Interfaith organizations offered nuanced responses to the outcome. Officials from the Council of Christians and Jews and Progressive Judaism welcomed the amended language and the church’s engagement on the matter, though they expressed concern about the lack of nuance in certain terminology and its potential to close down constructive dialogue rather than advance it.
Church officials, including Richard Sewell, a canon at St George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem, characterized the report as a necessary voice from the suffering Christian community in Palestine and the broader region. Mullally’s visit to Palestinian congregations in the occupied West Bank earlier in the process was noted as significant, with observers describing her willingness to engage despite the sensitive circumstances.
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