British Church leaders oppose
Israel’s West Bank annexation plan
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| Palestinian families in Elzariya town with the Jewish settlement of Maale Adumin in the background in the Israeli-occupied West Bank |
Leaders of the Catholic and Anglican Churches in Britain
write to the Israeli Ambassador and to the British Prime Minister expressing
their opposition to Israel’s Unilateral Annexations Plans for the West Bank.
By Vatican News
With the United States in turmoil over racial justice
protests and economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank after 1
July look ever more precarious and could be postponed.
Yes to negotiation, no to annexation
Adding their voices to widespread condemnation of the
Unilateral Annexations Plans, Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Anglican Archbishop
Justin Welby have each written a letter making it clear that they
“unambiguously support the fundamental right of Israel’s citizens to live in
peace and safety,” but emphasize that “these prospects can only be secured
through negotiation rather than annexation.”
According to a joint statement released on Saturday, The
Archbishop of Westminster, who is also the President of the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of England and Wales, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the leader
of the Anglican Communion, addressed their letters to Israeli Ambassador, Mark
Regey and British PM, Boris Johnson, in a concerned response to Israel’s plan
to annex West Bank territory from the beginning of July.
The two Christian leaders also stressed their deep belief
that it is essential that both Israelis and Palestinians may live without
violence or the threat of violence from each other or other armed groups.
Warning from Holy Land Church leaders
Their letters follow the recent warning from the leaders of
Churches in the Holy Land that the Government of Israel’s proposed annexation
of West Bank territory would “bring about the loss of any remaining hope for
the success of the peace process.”
The State of Palestine is officially recognized by the
United Nations and other entities (including the Vatican) as a Sovereign State,
claiming the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with Jerusalem as the designated
capital.
Following a ‘West Asia peace plan’ unveiled by the US
President in January this year, and that supports annexations by Israel, there
has been a huge surge in population of West Bank settlements.
The annexation proposal has been widely condemned, with
Jordan warning it would mean an end to its peace treaty with Israel, the
European Union calling the move unacceptable and the Palestinians announcing
they will suspend all previous agreements with Israel.
Israeli security analysts have warned that the move could
lead to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, forcing Israel to resume
civic control of almost 3 million Palestinian civilians, and maybe even to
violence.
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