Letter – Gaza and the West Bank

From the Deans of Guildford, Bradford, and Birmingham, and 28 other deans and acting deans of English cathedrals.

Gaza and the West Bank

Published in the Church Times today (1st August 2025)

To the Editor, – In this season of profound suffering in the Holy Land, we feel compelled to speak with one voice about the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza and the West Bank. As followers of Christ, we cannot remain silent while innocent lives are lost, and human dignity is trampled.

The words of the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, Dr Hosam Naoum, to the General Synod last month haunt us:

“Every part of our lives and our ministries is covered with the shroud of death,” describing how his Church was “ministering in multiple life-threatening situations simultaneously”.

The situation in Gaza has reached catastrophic proportions. Civilians, including thousands of children, are dying from violence, starvation, disease, and infrastructure collapse. Reports of malnutrition, where the spectre of famine looms large, grieve us deeply. The blocking or restriction of humanitarian aid represents a moral failure that demands urgent correction.

In the West Bank, we witness continued settlement expansion in violation of international law, accompanied by increasing violence against Palestinian civilians. Movement restrictions and the destruction of homes represent systematic injustices that we cannot ignore.

We unequivocally condemn the attacks perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October 2023. The deliberate targeting and killing of innocent civilians represent a fundamental violation of human dignity and moral law. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Terror tactics targeting civilian populations are never justified, regardless of political grievances. Equally, we condemn violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians.

While acknowledging Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself against terrorist attacks, we believe the current military response in Gaza raises serious moral and legal questions. The principle of proportionality in warfare requires minimising harm to civilian populations, and yet the scale of civilian casualties suggests that this principle has been abandoned.

As Christians, we are called to be voices for the voiceless and advocates for justice. The Hebrew prophets consistently called God’s people to “seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow”. These ancient words speak with urgent relevance to our current moment.

We acknowledge that Palestinians and Israelis both have legitimate aspirations for security, dignity, and self-determination. Both peoples have deep historical connections to this land, both have suffered grievous losses, and both deserve to live in peace and security.

We pledge to educate ourselves and our communities about this region’s complex history while maintaining our commitment to the equal dignity of all people. We will resist anti-Semitism in all its forms while also rejecting any attempts to silence legitimate criticism of policies that violate human rights.

We call upon our Government to use its influence to ensure humanitarian aid reaches those in need and that international law is respected by all parties. We call upon fellow Christians to join us in advocating for an end to this humanitarian catastrophe and for a just peace that recognises the rights and dignity of both Palestinians and Israelis.

BOB COOPER, ANDREW BOWERMAN, MATT THOMPSON, MANDY FORD, DAVID MONTEITH, JESSICA MARTIN, TIM STRATFORD, JOHN WHITCOMBE, PETER ROBINSON, MARK BONNEY, ANDREW ZIHNI, SARAH BROWN, KAREN ROOMS, JAN MCFARLANE, SIMON JONES, SUE JONES, ROGERS GOVINDER, CHRIS DALLISTON, ANTHONY CANE, JOHN DOBSON, PHILIP HESKETH, NICHOLAS PAPADOPULOS, ABI THOMPSON, MARK OAKLEY, NEIL EVANS, JO KELLY-MOORE, JOE HAWES, SIMON ROBINSON, TOBY WRIGHT, STEPHEN EDWARDS, DOMINIC BARRINGTON

c/o Guildford Cathedral
Guildford GU2 7UP