The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine has welcomed the Church of England’s General Synod's decision to adopt a motion encouraging engagement with documents issued by Palestinian churches, including the “Kairos Palestine” and “Kairos Palestine II” declarations.
The Kairos Palestine document, launched by Palestinian Christian leaders in 2009, is one of the most prominent church statements calling for an end to the decades-long Israeli occupation and supporting an international boycott of Israel as part of efforts to achieve a just peace based on freedom and dignity for the Palestinian people.
The documents aim to deepen understanding of conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories and promote solidarity with Palestinian Christians in their nonviolent resistance to the occupation.
The General Synod is the national assembly and legislative body of the Church of England.
In a statement on Monday, the committee, headed by Ramzi Khoury, said the decision carries particular significance because of the Church of England's historic and religious standing as England's established church and its influence in British public life.
The participation of Church of England bishops in the House of Lords “gives the decision additional moral and ecclesiastical weight in discussions on justice and peace,” the committee added.
It said the General Synod's decision followed a recent visit to the occupied Palestinian territories by Sarah Mullally, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who met Palestinian religious and political leaders and was briefed on the situation facing churches and Christian communities.
According to the committee, the decision “reflects growing awareness among churches worldwide of conditions in Palestine and the importance of listening to Palestinian churches and their role in advocating for justice and human dignity".
The committee said the vote also reinforces efforts to promote peace based on justice and fairness in line with international law and Christian values.
It welcomed the Synod's call to study the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories from theological and human rights perspectives and to review investment policies related to the occupied territories in light of the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on July 19, 2024.
The committee also praised the Synod's call to work toward a just and lasting peace that guarantees security, rights and dignity for all peoples.
It described the General Synod's decision as “an important step in strengthening the role of churches worldwide in promoting justice and peace.”
The committee urged churches and Christian institutions around the world “to continue listening to Palestinian churches, support efforts to end the occupation, advance a just and comprehensive peace and preserve the Palestinian Christian presence in the holy land.”
On July 4, Archbishop Atallah Hanna, head of the Sebastia of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, called on Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches worldwide to adopt the Kairos Palestine document and take “clearer and bolder” humanitarian and moral positions on the suffering of Palestinians, particularly in Gaza.
Hanna criticised what he described as the reliance of some Western churches on “polished diplomatic language” when addressing Palestinian suffering.
He said Israel's genocide in Gaza “does not require diplomatic statements but clear, courageous and strong positions aimed at achieving justice, freedom and ending the occupation.”
According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 173,000 wounded since Israel's genocide began on October 8, 2023. Palestinian authorities also say that about 90 percent of the enclave's civilian infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
