If you haven’t seen Justin Welby’s latest statement – check it out here.
And please read our warm response below.
This is an amazing turn-around for a man who had earlier wished Israel victory over Hamas. As recently as April, he tweeted a prayer for Israel after it made an unprovoked attack on the Iranian Embassy in Syria.
But it is an extraordinarily strong statement that calls for all governments to reaffirm support for advisory opinions by the International Court of Justice. Note that:
The ruling of 2004 deemed the Separation Barrier illegal, adding that Palestinians who had lost possessions - including hundreds of thousands of fruit trees – during its construction should be compensated.
It also ruled that, as the occupying power, Israel had no right of self-defence against a people whose land it was occupying.
So is our job done? Can we all go home?
Certainly not. There is far more that the Church of England can and must do
The Church lies at the heart of our democracy, with 26 of its bishops sitting in the House of Lords, and with such privilege comes responsibility.
The ethnic cleansing of Palestine has been going on for over 100 years, and Britain is directly responsible, above all from 1920 to 1939 when it governed the territory (see Shambrook, Chapter 2). And in the last year, it has given Israel the green light to bomb Gaza back into the stone age.
The Church of England bears great responsibility for this, for failing to speak out during those 100 years
CAMPAIN and the Lambeth Witness Group will move carefully and judiciously.
We seek an amicable relationship with the Church’s leadership that will bear fruit.
Meanwhile, let’s celebrate this game-changing development!
61 Gravel Hill
Wimborne
BH21 3BJ
August 6th, 2024
Dear Archbishop Welby
Open letter from CAMPAIN and the Lambeth Witness Group
We wholeheartedly welcome your recent statement (Aug 2) that Israel is illegally occupying Palestinian Territories and should withdraw forthwith.
You have made the statement in the wake of the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion of July 19 which makes it crystal clear that the occupation is illegal. You have accepted this finding in total, giving your backing to International Law. You spell out that governments should reaffirm unwavering commitment to all ICJ decisions. You mention human dignity, human flourishing and the Palestinian people’s fundamental right to self-determination – music to our ears!
This ruling seems to have been a game-changer for you and you are rightly affirming the essential role of International Law in protecting our shared humanity.
To date, you have warmly supported certain Jewish bodies in this country. Of course fostering good relations with those of other faiths is an important part of your job. We appreciate that the Chief Rabbi is a close personal friend and that you are very conscious of European mistreatment of Jews over past centuries – especially during the last one. Given these considerations, we salute your courage and integrity in issuing this strong and unambiguous statement. You demonstrate a commitment to justice and equality despite potential pressures and we want to acknowledge that.
At the same time, however, we would remind you that many thousands of British Jews – observant and secular – strongly oppose the Chief Rabbi’s support for the slaughter currently taking place in Gaza. We therefore believe it would enhance Christian-Jewish relations if you could also engage with Jews who dissent from the Chief Rabbi’s and the Board of Deputies’ positions on Israel and the Middle East.
We in CAMPAIN and the Lambeth Witness Group look forward to your support for other parts of international law with Israel routinely contravenes.
As you and many fellow bishops sit in the House of Lords, we urge you to:
argue for the cessation of arms sales to Israel
argue for an end to logistical support for the Israeli war effort such as allowing the use of British facilities in Cyprus
condemn the political assassination of Ismail Haniyeh – Hamas’ chief negotiator. (By failing to do this, HMG implies that it could have been justified in assassinating Gerry Adams and Michael McGuinness before the Good Friday Agreement). As you have stated: To resist a world where actions such as torture, hostage-taking and indiscriminate violence become the norm, we must apply the law without fear of favour in all circumstances. Political assassination must be condemned under all circumstances.
We would also urge you to push back against so-called ‘cancel culture’ where pro-Israeli lobbyists and the mainstream media mobilise against those who criticise Israel, particularly in the university sector. They usually accuse such people of ‘antisemitism’ or say they are ‘hurtful to Jewish people’. Such statements are deeply problematic as they deny diversity of opinion among Jews and conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism. Jews play a very significant role in the Palestinian rights movement both in diverse campaigns – there are, for example, three Jews on our own eight-strong executive committee – and in a wide range of specifically Jewish organisations.
We would welcome the opportunity to meet you to discuss these matters.
Thank you again for your courageous statement of August 2 and for reading this letter.
Yours sincerely
Jonathan Coulter
Adam Waterhouse
Sharen Green
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