Sarah Mullally, head of the Church of England, and Hosam Naoum, Anglican archbishop of Jerusalem, issued a joint letter urging Anglicans worldwide to press politicians toward ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The letter advocates for a two-state solution that would allow Israelis and Palestinians to coexist peacefully with dignity and security, and proposes that Jerusalem’s status be determined through negotiation as a shared capital.
Mullally’s call follows a five-day pastoral visit to the region during which she documented conditions affecting Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. She described the extensive checkpoint systems Palestinians navigate and preached about Jesus living under foreign occupation. The letter expressed concern about the sustainability of indigenous Christian Palestinian communities in the Holy Land and characterized Gaza’s health infrastructure as facing catastrophic collapse.
During the visit, Mullally met with Palestinian Christians experiencing hardship, including the Nassar family, who have faced Israeli attempts to seize their West Bank land since 1991 and repeated settler attacks. She also met Layan Nasir, a Palestinian Anglican community worker released after military detention, and the parents of Natalie Abu Dayeh, a Christian student held without charge. In sermons delivered during the visit, Mullally drew parallels between Jesus’s experience under occupation and contemporary Palestinian circumstances.
The letter acknowledged the impact of recent conflict on Israeli society, noting the aftermath of events on 7 October and describing heightened national security concerns. It detailed conditions in Palestinian territories, citing unchecked settler violence, forced displacement, systemic discrimination, and expanding checkpoints that have left Palestinians impoverished and without agency for change. The authors stated the international community bears moral responsibility to address suffering in Gaza and assist in rebuilding.
The Church of England’s General Synod will debate a motion next month to review investment policies in the region, with church officials framing the discussion in terms of justice and human dignity for all people involved.
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