| “The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has made various statements about Israel/Palestine that are not in any way supported by the evidence. He is denying the existence of Apartheid in Israel, a position that is looking increasingly untenable given the Southern African Church’s recent declaration that it is indeed an apartheid state. In July he made a breathtaking statement at a meeting organised by the Jewish Board of Deputies (BoD) that “antisemitism is the root of all racism and the absolute foundation of all racism in our societies”. To ascribe to antisemitism hundreds of years of slavery and mistreatment of Africans and Afro-Americans is absurd. Back in April CAMPAIN group sent Welby an Open Letter alluding to a series of debatable statements and actions he had taken, with a view to engaging him in a face-to-face discussion. However, the Archbishop has declined any such dialogue. Those of you who follow Church Times will have noted that in its editions of Sept. 15th, 22nd and 29th, it has carried a series of letters that are highly critical of Welby’s stance, from: Linda Ramsden (Director of ICAHD-UK), Jonathan Coulter (Secretary of CAMPAIN), Revd Dr Peter Liddell (Cannon Emeritus from St Albans), and Dr Jonathan Chaplin, Director of the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics. Moreover, Robert Cohen, Chair of the Amos Trust, wrote the Archbishop this short open letter:Dear Justin WelbyIt’s possible to demonstrate your respect, concern and love for the Jewish people without denying the tragic reality of Israel/Palestine.It’s not just the entire human rights community which describes the situation as Apartheid. It’s also Israel’s own politicians and former heads of internal security. Your refusal to engage with Palestinian (Christian and Muslim) experience makes you look ill-informed, unconcerned and badly detached from the real world.Having spent the last week in the West Bank and East Jerusalem talking with and listening to Jews, Christians and Muslims, the Apartheid here is as clear as day. It touches every aspect of life – housing, work, education, food, freedom of movement…and on and on it goes.The Church must carry a terrible burden when it comes to historic antisemitism (and some contemporary global examples too). But your unwillingness to face the truth of this modern injustice is not the answer. In the end it does no service to either Palestinians or Jews. I urge you to find a new language and new ethical stand so that you can make a meaningful contribution to a better future rather than defending an immoral present.Sincerely, Robert Cohen This blog carried another highly critical letter by a Christian, a Jew and an Atheist who have spent a lot of time in Israel/Palestine. In the view of CAMPAIN and many other advocates of equal rights and self-determination for the Palestinians, Archbishop Welby is rapidly losing credibility over his stance on Israel, Palestine and alleged antisemitism. We need to decide whether and how the Balfour Project engages with this matter”. With best regards The Balfour Project Team |