A delegation of Palestinian Christians to London, supported by FairSquare and partners, this month met the Archbishop of Canterbury and addressed parliamentarians and a public event, highlighting the parlous situation of the Christian community in Palestine and calling on the UK to uphold international law.
The delegation to the UK consisted of Revd Munther Isaac, Evangelical Lutheran Pastor Of Bethlehem, Dalia Qumsieh, human rights lawyer of the Balasan Initiative for Human Rights, and Mays Nasser of Kairos Palestine. Due to the closure of the Allenby crossing, Revd Munther Isaac was unable to join in person and participated in the visit remotely. FairSquare worked with Kairos Palestine, Sabeel-Kairos-UK, and the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU) to organise the visit.
On 10 September, the delegation met the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace, and joined for evensong prayers following the meeting.
The Archbishop of Canterbury issued a statement following the meeting, in which he called on Israel to end “its illegal occupation of Palestinian land” and on the international community to support “the realisation of the Palestinian people’s fundamental right to self-determination.”
“It was a privilege to meet and pray today with some of our Palestinian Christian sisters and brothers. I praise God for their steadfastness in the face of occupation, systemic discrimination and devastating violence. I thank God for their faithfulness in the land where Christ lived, died and was raised from the dead. I am profoundly grieved by what I heard today, and I cry out to God for the war in Gaza to stop. How many more stories of families, homes and communities destroyed must we hear before this senseless killing ceases?”
During their visit, the delegation addressed, alongside the Palestinian Ambassador, at a major parliamentary reception, attended by numerous MPs from all parties, Lords, humanitarian organisations and others attended. Dalia told the gathering that the root cause of the oppression of Palestinians was colonisation and apartheid. She highlighted that “the sensitivity shouldn’t be that we use these terms, but that these crimes are happening in the 21st Century.”
Mays Nassar of Kairos Palestine, also a Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem, explained how Bethlehem has been under Israeli military occupation since 1967. She said that “Israel should not be allowed to act with impunity”, calling on the UK government to institute a full arms ban on Israel.
The delegates also spoke at a Palfest event, attended by more than 300 people. Revd Munther Isaac delivered a recorded address from Bethlehem, while Dalia Qumsieh and Mays Nassar spoke in conversation with Palestinian-Iraqi poet Zena Agha.
