Archbishop of Canterbury calls for end to Israeli occupation of Palestine | Anglicanism
The Archbishop of Canterbury has called for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine, following a pilgrimage where he encountered Palestinians attacked by settlers and others detained without trial.
Sarah Mullally, president of the Church of England, and Hosam Naoum, the Anglican archbishop of Jerusalem, published a joint letter on Thursday urging Anglicans around the world to pressure politicians “to take all necessary measures to create a credible path to ending the occupation.”
“This should lead to a viable two-state solution that will enable Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, dignity and security. The status of Jerusalem as a common capital should be determined through negotiation,” the letter said.
The pair said they feared “the long-term future of the presence of indigenous Christian Palestinians in the Holy Land, dating back to the time when our Lord walked these lands.” They also said Gaza’s healthcare system was in a state of “catastrophic collapse.”
The letter was published following a five-day pastoral visit in which Mullally spoke of the “tremendous challenges” and “network of checkpoints” Palestinians face in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem and preached that Jesus lived under foreign occupation.
He also planted an olive tree with the family of Daoud Nassar, a Palestinian Christian who has been fighting Israeli attempts to take over his land in the West Bank since 1991 and has repeatedly faced settler attacks.
“While many Palestinian Christians have left, olive trees are a symbol of their deep roots in this land,” Mullally said, while the Nassars are an example of “Christian resistance to injustice.”
Lambeth Palace said the aim of the visit was to encourage Palestinian Christians at a time when “communities are being forcibly removed from their lands and illegal settlements are rapidly expanding in the West Bank”.
In their letter, Mullally and Naoum wrote that they had “met families who feel saddened and traumatized by the endless conflict” across Palestine and Israel.
“The simultaneous continuation of multiple conflicts in Israel and the profound consequences of the horrific atrocity of October 7 have created a state of intense sensitivity to potential danger that is transforming society and politics,” they wrote.
“Uncontrolled settler violence, forced displacement, systemic discrimination, and expanding checkpoints in the West Bank have left the Palestinian people poor, helpless, and powerless to enact change. Annexation is already happening in all but name.”
“Meanwhile, the deep suffering in Gaza continues. The international community must not look away; it has a moral responsibility to relieve this suffering and help rebuild Gaza society.”
Mullally said the conflicts in the Middle East were “symptomatic of a deeper political and moral crisis, the abandonment of international law and the increasing duplication of military force.”
During his visit, he met the parents of Layan Nasir, a 26-year-old Palestinian Anglican community worker who was released after being imprisoned by the Israeli army, and the parents of Christian student Natalie Abu Dayeh, who was detained without charge.
In the Christian West Bank town of Birzeit, Mullally told worshipers at St. Peter’s Church that he would use his role as archbishop to seek “the peace you desire and the freedom you deserve.”
In his sermon, he said: “In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus speaks to a people living in fear: His own people living in an occupied land and under foreign rule… I can only imagine how these words might sound to you today.”
The General Synod, the annual meeting of the Church of England, will debate a motion to review investment policies in the region next month.
Chelmsford Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani said the debate would be about “justice and human dignity for all”.
