The Church of England's General Synod voted overwhelmingly last week to formally hear a document that describes Israel's military campaign in Gaza as a 'genocidal war' and a 'colonial enterprise'. The motion, which passed among bishops, clergy, and laity, was welcomed by Palestinian Christians but prompted warnings from Jewish leaders that the language could harm decades of interfaith dialogue.
Father Fadi Diab, a prominent Palestinian Anglican priest from Ramallah who co-wrote the document, described the moment as 'surreal' and emotional. 'I think members of synod wanted to say: We hear your voices, we feel your pain, and we want to stand with you in your struggle,' he said.
Document at the Centre of Debate
The motion centred on Kairos Palestine II (A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide), a report published last year by Palestinian Christian leaders from various denominations. The document calls for an urgent global Christian response to the war in Gaza and Israel's occupation of the West Bank, using terms such as genocide, apartheid, and settler colonialism. Originally drafted to ask synod to 'receive' the report, the motion was amended during the debate so members instead agreed to 'hear' it.
Speaking during the debate, Sarah Mullally, the Archbishop of Canterbury, acknowledged concerns raised by Jewish organisations and explained that hearing Palestinian Christians' experiences did not mean endorsing every aspect of the report. 'It does mean that we listen with compassion, and stand in solidarity with them amidst the many injustices they face,' she said.
Jewish Concerns and Responses
Before the debate, the Board of Deputies of British Jews urged synod to reject the report, releasing a briefing that said it 'directly undermines the struggle against antisemitism'. The UK's chief rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, and the co-chairs of Progressive Judaism also warned that the document risked harming Christian-Jewish relations. Jewish leaders argued the report went beyond criticising the Israeli government and its military campaign, instead questioning Zionism and core elements of Jewish history, including the longstanding Jewish connection to the land.
Rabbi Charley Baginsky, a co-chair of Progressive Judaism, said she understood the Church of England must grapple with the experiences of Palestinian Christians who feel unheard. 'Where we'd be very strong is that this is not the vehicle by which to do that because of the entrenchment of antisemitic tropes within it, and within the nature of wiping out the experiences of what it means for Jews and Israelis to be in relationship with the land,' she said. Baginsky welcomed the church's continued engagement but noted that the language in Kairos II 'closes down conversation'.
Interfaith Balancing Act
Georgina Bye, co-director of the Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ), the UK's oldest interfaith charity, expressed concern about the 'lack of nuance' in some terms used and said the document 'disparages dialogue'. She added, 'For us, it's a balancing act. We want to uplift and hear the voices of Palestinian Christians, amplify their distress and stand with them, while also being aware of the context we're living in here in the UK.' Bye welcomed the amendment changing 'receive' to 'hear' and noted that several speakers asked for a more holistic view.
Richard Sewell, the Residentiary Canon of St George's Cathedral in Jerusalem, described the report as 'a cry for help from our brothers and sisters in Palestine and Israel'. He insisted the Church of England had a duty to hear the suffering church in the region directly. 'People ask: Why are you raising these painful issues which are going to cause so much distress? Because our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Jerusalem and across different denominations are pleading with the wider church to engage with them,' Sewell said.
Archbishop's Visit and Context
The debate marked one of Mullally's first significant interventions as leader of the church. Weeks earlier, she visited Diab's congregation in Birzeit, in the occupied West Bank. During the synod debate, Mullally said she had seen settlements expanding 'at unprecedented rates' and that Palestine, including Christian villages such as Taybeh, was 'on the brink of disappearing'. 'Against this desperate backdrop we are called to a new and active solidarity,' she said.
Diab defended the language in the report, including the terms genocide and apartheid, saying they reflected findings from human rights organisations. 'The reality is that the state of Israel continues to confiscate occupied Palestinian land and build settlements on it. We are not inventing words. We are describing what is happening on the ground,' he said. He urged more people to visit the occupied territories to understand the conditions. 'Many simply do not know what is happening. We know many people whose views changed after visiting because once you experience crossing checkpoints, once you experience humiliation, you begin to understand what it means to live under military occupation for nearly 60 years,' Diab added.
