Church of England synod backs hearing Palestinian Christians

The Church of England’s General Synod has voted to stand with Palestinian Christians and engage with documents that describe their experience under Israeli rule. The decision matters because it puts the church’s national assembly behind a contested conversation on Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Christian-Jewish relations.

The vote took place Monday after a debate that began Sunday, according to the Church of England. The motion called for the church to consider two Palestinian church texts, Kairos Palestine and Kairos Palestine II, while reaffirming its commitment to interfaith dialogue, including with Jewish communities.

In a statement, the Church of England said the motion expressed solidarity with Palestinian Christians and other Palestinians engaged in nonviolent resistance to occupation. The church said the vote also maintained support for Christian-Jewish dialogue.

Kairos texts at the center of debate

Kairos Palestine, issued in 2009, was written by Palestinian church leaders and described the situation of Christians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. The document called for an end to Israel’s occupation and said Palestinian Christians and Muslims have historic ties to the land.

A second text, Kairos Palestine II – A Moment of Truth: Faith in the Time of Genocide, was released in 2025. It addressed Israel’s war in Gaza and attacks by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied Palestinian territory, according to the document.

Some speakers and critics objected to the language used in the Kairos documents to describe Israel. The Ven Stewart Fyfe, archdeacon of West Cumberland in the Diocese of Carlisle, opened the synod debate and said parts of the documents were difficult to read, but argued that the wording reflected trauma after the war in Gaza.

“If the language is challenging, it comes from a place of deep trauma,” Fyfe told the synod. He said the motion asked church members to hear Palestinian Christians rather than dismiss their testimony.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health says that since October 2023, Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 73,250 people and wounded 173,751. A United Nations commission last year found that Israeli authorities and forces committed genocidal acts in Gaza as defined by the 1948 convention, including killings and destruction of Palestinian life in the enclave.

Critics say the document harms dialogue

After the synod vote, an open statement led by Regan King, pastor of The Angel Church in Islington, London, urged churches to reject Kairos II. The statement had 1,877 signatories as of Friday and said the document was not in the interests of Palestinian Christians.

The statement said Kairos II makes unsupported allegations of genocide against Israel in its war against Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. It said the war’s aims were to free hostages and destroy Hamas’s capabilities.

UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis also criticized the synod’s decision. In a post on X on Tuesday, Mirvis called Kairos II a document of “falsehood” and said it rejected dialogue, used extreme language against Israel’s existence and opposed existing regional peace agreements.

Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally told the synod that hearing Palestinian Christian voices did not mean accepting every statement in the documents. She said the situation in the Holy Land required difficult conversations and listening to testimony that may be hard to hear.

The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine welcomed the Church of England’s vote on Tuesday. The committee said the decision carried influence because of the church’s role in British public life, including bishops who sit in the House of Lords.

The committee also said Mullally had recently visited the occupied West Bank, met Palestinian religious and political figures, and heard from churches and Christian communities there.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.