The Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, Husam Elias Naoum, have called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the release of all hostages and prisoners. Forced relocations would also have to end. War and occupation left „fear for the long-term survival of the indigenous Christian presence in the Holy Land, said a joint statement released on Thursday.
The head of the Anglican World Communion visited Israel, Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories from November 15th to 19th to reaffirm the solidarity of the Church of England with Palestinian Christians. Together with Naoum, he visited Christians, Christian institutions and church representatives in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nazareth and Jerusalem. Among other things, they met families whose property and lands are threatened by Israel’s settlement policy in the occupied territories, as well as the relatives of the Palestinian Christian Layan Nasir, who has been living there since last April.without charge, trial or conviction” is in Israeli administrative detention.
“These are not isolated cases, but part of one targeted strategy of harassment and intimidation, to drive Palestinian families from their land,” said the two archbishops. From a Christian perspective, there is no justification for denying people their God-given human dignity and the resulting rights. Furthermore, Israel’s policy against the Palestinians “will bring neither peace nor security “.
The Christians in the Holy Land and especially the young generation stand facing existential challenges, who questioned their future. At the same time, they felt abandoned by the universal church. Welby and Naoum called for a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land that “recognizes the human dignity of all people and respects international humanitarian law.”
Welby will step down as church leader on January 6, 2025. Months can pass before a successor is chosen. The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, will temporarily take over Welby’s duties. He announced last week that he would resign from his position following allegations of cover-up of abuse. He bears personal and institutional responsibility for mistakes made in recent years.
