The Bishop of Gloucester, The Rt Rev Rachel Treweek has written a deeply moving piece about her recent visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory of East Jerusalem and the West Bank in June 2024.
She writes: In the past I have been wary of using the word apartheid to describe the situation in Palestine-Israel, but having seen even more starkly how life is now in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, I wish to stand alongside other individuals and groups, not least Christians, in boldly naming apartheid.
In both Ramallah and Bethlehem, Christians spoke of being weary of people from the UK visiting the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of Christ but yet not really doing so in terms of following Christ in word and deed when faced with the injustices of the land. Likewise, there was a weariness with people visiting to raise awareness or fact-find. What local people yearn for are visitors who will listen and speak out, not least for their Christian brothers and sisters. There was a vocalising of the Church’s need to repent and act.
You can read the full article here.