LONDON: Palestinian Christians have slammed the Archbishop of Canterbury for his remarks on the Israel-Gaza war, accusing him of “relegating” their plight behind “British domestic political and ecumenical considerations.”
Justin Welby spent four days in Jerusalem over the weekend to show solidarity “with the Christian community in the Holy Land” after Israel reportedly bombed the Anglican-run Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza.
Before leaving the UK, Welby issued a statement calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas as well as for humanitarian aid to be allowed to enter Gaza.
“The evil and heinous terror attacks by Hamas on people in Israel were crimes against God and humanity. Israel has a legitimate right and duty to defend itself, and to pursue a proportionate and discriminate response to establish its security,” he said.
However, he added: “Israel’s bombing campaign on the heavily populated Gaza Strip is causing massive civilian casualties and suffering. The people of Gaza are running out of water, food, medical supplies and places of refuge.”
Anglican parishioners from the West Bank penned an open letter to Welby, saying that they were “utterly perplexed” by Welby’s public statements.
“We do not remember a single statement from our church referring to the well-documented crimes of the Israeli occupation as ‘evil and heinous crimes,’ even when Anglicans have been affected,” the letter said.
“We are utterly perplexed by the public statements coming out from your office on the current situation in Palestine. It has become clear to us that our voices as Palestinian Anglicans are not being heard in Canterbury and our interests are being relegated …
“We are afraid that domestic British ecumenical and political considerations are more relevant in your decision-making process than the accurate recognition and implementation of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people in general, and of the Anglican Palestinian community in particular.”
The letter’s authors also expressed their concern over statements by Welby’s office referring to them as “Anglicans in the West Bank, Israel and Gaza” rather than by their national identity as Palestinians.
“These matters might, for some, seem as mere semantics but for us directly concern our identity and the steadfast struggle to fend off against attempts to ethnically cleanse our presence from Palestine,” they said.
The Ramallah and Birzeits Anglican Congregations, the letter’s signatories, also claimed that they were only made aware of Welby’s visit to Jerusalem through social media.
“It is very unfortunate that we did not have a chance to participate in the Sunday Prayers conducted in Jerusalem due to the Israeli occupation’s closure of our cities despite the fact that we were only 10 km away.”
“Our position unequivocally opposes all attacks against civilians regardless of national, ethnic or religious identity and calls for the full implementation of international humanitarian law.
“What we would expect from our church is to fully condemn the systematic denial of our rights and calls to annihilate our people, especially as these are being publicly expressed by the current fascist Israeli government, rather than attempting to create a balance between the oppressed and the oppressor.”
Speaking to the House of Lords on Tuesday, Welby condemned Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, while reiterating his call for humanitarian action in Gaza. He warned that the “more heavy the casualties, the less chance there is of a renewed peace.”
The archbishop also asked the UK government to grant official recognition of the “supreme courage” of Yosef Guedalia, a British-Israeli soldier killed by Hamas operatives on Oct. 7.
A Lambeth Palace spokesperson confirmed that Welby had received the letter, stating: “It’s essential that we listen to our Palestinian Anglican brothers and sisters, and remain in solidarity with all the Christians of the Holy Land.
“Archbishop Justin continues to call for an urgent humanitarian cease-fire, and for aid to reach the civilians of Gaza. He urges a just peace that gives freedom and security to all peoples in the Holy Land, with particular care and concern for Palestinian Christians who are too often overlooked.”
