WESTERN Christians have finally decided to listen to the desperate pleas from their brothers and sisters in Occupied Palestine.
In July, the Church of England voted overwhelmingly to support Palestinian Christians in their peaceful struggle against the illegal Israeli occupation.
Palestinian pastor and theologian, Rev Dr Munther Isaac, who is based in Bethlehem, praised the Church for agreeing to review its investments in the Occupied Territories and for urging renewed efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
The Jewish establishment tried to shut down the debate before it even began, provoking an angry reaction from the Dean of the Anglican college in Jerusalem.
Palestinian Christians cried out for support from fellow Christians in their struggle against Israel’s ongoing occupation and land grabs in 2009. The plea, in a document called Kairos, fell on deaf ears. They tried again in 2019 – again, nothing.
Then Hamas and others burst out of Gaza in October 2023 – around 1200 Israelis died and 200 were taken hostage.
Israel’s reaction was to launch a population-wide attack, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroying the area’s entire civilian infrastructure, targeting hospitals, schools and mosques, killing hundreds of doctors, nurses, aid workers and journalists, and reducing to rubble nearly all homes.
Over 20,000 children have been killed – deliberately, according to a UN report. Palestinian Christians responded with Kairos II – a document that openly called it genocide.
Finally, Church of England members who had been trying for years to get the issue debated at the church’s parliament – the General Synod – succeeded.
But not before Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD) demanded that the church reject the document. A BoD spokesperson said it was “replete with historical distortions and false allegations”.
During the Synod debate some members objected to the term genocide while others were concerned it would harm relations between Christians and Jews.
But Dean Richard Sewell of St George’s College, Jerusalem, welcomed the outcome, saying the vote had encouraged Palestinian Christians.
“I believe that the vehemence of the opinions of those who warned General Synod not to debate such a motion, including the UK Chief Rabbi and the Board of Deputies, helped to persuade Synod that the motion to ‘hear’ the cry of Palestinian Christians – helped to persuade Synod that such a cry should not be silenced,” he said.
