Christianity: Palestine

The Church of England and the Anglican Communion continue to support the ministry of the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem and the Diocese of Jerusalem alongside the Anglican Mission agencies operating in the region who largely provide healthcare and education to all living in the local communities in the West Bank and Gaza. The Archbishop of Canterbury is currently on a pilgrimage to the region, where she is learning and witnessing the work of these agencies

The Bishops of Southwark, Gloucester, Norwich and Chelmsford continue to highlight their ongoing concerns about increased settler violence in the West Bank and called for an end to the use of roadblocks and movement restrictions. They have joined His Holiness the Pope and the local heads of Churches, who have called for the protection of innocent civilians, freedom of movement and freedom to worship. There remain considerable concerns in Gaza about the access to building materials and healthcare

More broadly the treatment of the Christian communities in the towns and villages in the south of Lebanon is also being closely monitored during the ongoing conflict where these communities are becoming cut off from their land, farms and homes as infrastructure, roads and the water supply around the city of Tyre are bombed, damaged and left beyond use. Damage is also being caused to cultural heritage, UNESCO sites and some of the oldest churches in the region which have been targeted. These concerns have also been shared with the UK Government as part of regular conversations between the Church and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and other relevant Departments of State.