Church of England backs Palestinian Christians despite backlash

The Church of England's General Synod approved a motion affirming solidarity with Palestinian Christians and committing to hear their experiences as documented in the Kairos Palestine materials. The decision, reached following debate, represents the church's commitment to standing alongside Palestinian Christians in their non-violent resistance to occupation while reaffirming dedication to interfaith dialogue, including Christian-Jewish engagement.

The Kairos Palestine document, first issued in 2009, contains accounts from church leaders describing the circumstances of Christians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, calling for an end to Israeli occupation. A second document, Kairos Palestine II, released in 2025, addresses Israel's military operations in Gaza and ongoing violence by Israeli forces and settlers in Palestinian territories, employing language that characterizes Israel as a colonial and settler entity built on displacement of the indigenous population.

During synod debate, critics objected to the documents' terminology and framing of Israeli actions. Archdeacon Stewart Fyfe, who opened discussion of the motion, acknowledged that some language was challenging but contextualized it as emerging from deep trauma experienced by Palestinians, particularly following the war in Gaza. He argued that survivors of trauma deserve to have their accounts received and understood rather than dismissed for their word choice.

Since October 2023, the conflict in Gaza has resulted in at least 73,250 deaths and 173,751 injuries according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. The motion's passage generated significant response, with an open statement opposing the decision signed by 1,877 people as of Friday.