Palestinian Christians have restated their criticism of the archbishop of Canterbury over his public statements on the Israel-Hamas war, demanding he “speak truth to power for the sake of a just and lasting peace”.
A letter to Justin Welby, the leader of the global Anglican communion, from Palestinian Christians in the diocese of Jerusalem came shortly after Anglicans in the West Bank accused the archbishop of “relegating” their plight.
The two letters suggest frustration is growing, exacerbated by the lack of response from Welby’s office to the first letter. Lambeth Palace, the London headquarters of the archbishop, is understood to have not replied as there were no named signatories on the letter.
The second letter came from churches in Amman, Jordan, which make up the largest parish in the diocese of Jerusalem. Their congregations are overwhelmingly Palestinian Christian refugees forced to leave their homes in 1948, and their descendants.
The letter states the signatories’ opposition to “acts of violence against any civilians” before saying: “We continue to have concerns, as expressed by others, that the British government’s relationships with Jewish leaders matter more to Anglican leaders than the basic principles of justice, freedom and the right of return for the oldest Christian community in the world.”
It adds: “We ask for your support to speak truth to power for the sake of a just and lasting peace, and to avoid any remarks that can be interpreted as siding with Israeli politicians who seek to oppress and displace the Palestinian people or who seek to challenge a Christian presence in the Holy Land.”
The letter also speaks of Israel’s “denial of national rights to the Palestinian people” and of extremists in the Israeli government who aim to block “Palestinian dreams for a national home … in the Holy Land”.
Since 1948, Israel has “engaged in a campaign widely described as ethnic cleansing, apartheid and other genocide against the Palestinian people”, the letter says.
Last month, Welby spent four days in Jerusalem to “show solidarity … with the Christian community in the Holy Land”, according to his website.
After the visit, Palestinian Anglicans in the West Bank said his statements were shaped by “domestic British ecumenical and political considerations” rather than recognition of “the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people in general, and of the Anglican Palestinian community in particular”.
In a statement issued on 31 October, Church of England bishops appealed for “immediate humanitarian pauses … holding out hope for a ceasefire in the longer term”.
A spokesperson for Lambeth Palace confirmed receipt of the second letter and pointed to its response to the first letter, where Lambeth Palace said it remained “in solidarity with all the Christians of the Holy Land”.
