The Church of England’s General Synod voted last week to formally hear a document titled Kairos Palestine II, a report published the previous year by Palestinian Christian leaders calling for global Christian response to the Gaza war and West Bank occupation. The report, co-written by Father Fadi Diab, a prominent Palestinian Anglican priest from Ramallah, employs terminology including genocide, apartheid, and settler colonialism to describe Israeli actions.
The motion originally asked synod members to “receive” the report but was amended during debate to “receive” it instead, a change welcomed by interfaith advocates. Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally stated that hearing Palestinian Christians’ experiences did not constitute endorsement of every aspect of the document, but rather meant listening with compassion and standing in solidarity with them regarding injustices they face. Mullally noted that during a recent visit to the West Bank, she observed settlements expanding at unprecedented rates and characterized Palestinian communities as facing existential threats.
Jewish organizational leaders, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the UK’s chief rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, had urged synod to reject the report prior to the vote. These leaders expressed concerns that the document extended beyond criticism of Israeli government military actions to question Zionism and core elements of Jewish historical connection to the land. Rabbi Charley Baginsky of Progressive Judaism acknowledged the church’s responsibility to hear Palestinian Christian voices but contended the report contained antisemitic language and would entrench rather than advance dialogue.
Georgina Bye of the Council of Christians and Jews, the UK’s oldest interfaith organization, welcomed the amendment from “receive” to “hear” and noted the debate included calls for more holistic examination of the issues. She characterized the report as presenting one perspective on a complex situation requiring exposure to multiple narratives. Richard Sewell, a church official linking England’s church with the Anglican community in Palestine, described the motion as fulfilling the church’s duty to hear suffering Palestinian Christians and characterized the report as a cry for help from the region.
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