In a landmark decision that breaks with longstanding norms in Western religious discourse, the Church of England’s legislative body, the General Synod, has voted to advance a motion calling on English congregations and church institutions to listen directly to the experiences of Palestinian Christians, overriding fierce opposition from pro-Israel groups that sought to block consideration of the community’s claims about Israeli “settler colonialism” and an “apartheid system”.
The approved motion, amended during Monday’s deliberations, centers on engagement with testimonies compiled by Kairos Palestine, a Palestinian Christian grassroots movement. The revised text swapped the original word “receive” for “hear”, explicitly clarifying that the church does not require its members or institutions to endorse every claim laid out in the group’s latest document, Kairos II. The motion frames the text as a sincere reflection of the lived trauma of Palestinian Christians under occupation, and calls on the global Anglican community to stand in solidarity with Palestinians engaged in nonviolent resistance to Israeli occupation. It also explicitly condemns antisemitism, anti-Muslim bigotry, and all other forms of religious and ethnic prejudice.
Formally titled *A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide*, Kairos II was published in November by Palestinian Christian clergy and lay leaders, drafted in direct response to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, escalating settler violence and forced displacement across the occupied West Bank. The document labels Israel a colonial project waging a genocidal war on Gaza, and calls for global grassroots action including boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaigns to pressure the Israeli government. It also rejects Christian Zionism as a theological framework rooted in racism, colonialism, and ethnic supremacy, stating that any just resolution requires dismantling the settler colonial structure and apartheid system enshrined in Israel’s Nation-State Law, which enshrines Jewish supremacy.
The framing used in Kairos II aligns with findings from multiple prominent independent and international bodies: a United Nations commission of inquiry, global human rights group Amnesty International, and leading Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem have all concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and carrying out ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, who publicly backed the motion following a fact-finding visit to the region in June, addressed the Synod to emphasize the urgency of listening to Palestinian voices. “The fear was palpable among everyone we met, Palestinian and Israeli. From Gaza to the north of Israel, from southern Lebanon to the West Bank, people across the region are traumatized by ongoing conflicts,” she said. Noting that the Kairos II document directly mirrors the pain and suffering of the Palestinian people, Mullally argued that the church has a moral obligation to hold difficult conversations and cross deep divides to engage with lived experience. “I am a pastor, not a politician. When I say the Palestinian people deserve their freedom, that is not a political statement, but a moral and spiritual one,” she added. “Put simply, Palestine, which the British government recognised last year, is disappearing.”
For Palestinian Christian leaders, the vote marks a historic break from decades of Western religious institutions sidelining Palestinian Christian voices in conversations about the Middle East conflict. Munther Isaac, a prominent Palestinian Christian pastor based in the occupied West Bank, called the decision “a very positive sign and an important step forward” in an interview with Middle East Eye. “Kairos Palestine does speak of genocide, but it is hardly alone in doing so. We should not forget the many credible, extensive, and detailed reports that have reached the same conclusion or raised the gravest concerns about genocide in Gaza,” he said. “In this regard, the Church is simply being true to its calling: to engage seriously with what is happening in the world, with what its own members are wrestling with and speaking about, and with what its Palestinian Christian siblings are calling for.”
The Synod’s vote drew immediate and fierce pushback from pro-Israel groups and leaders across the United Kingdom. Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, called the motion “highly problematic”, claiming Kairos II contains “falsehoods and distortions”. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis described the decision as “shameful” and “a sad day for Jewish-Christian relations”. Isaac noted that the backlash was predictable, but criticized opponents for focusing on the language of the document rather than the atrocities that prompted its creation. “But it is shameful that they seem more concerned about the Church receiving and engaging with a document from Palestinian Christians than they are about the crimes and genocide itself. It is also very telling how easily they dismiss the entire question of genocide, despite the overwhelming body of credible reports and evidence,” he said.
The pushback comes amid a documented rise in attacks on Christian communities and property across Israel and occupied Palestinian territories. The Rossing Centre for Education and Dialogue recorded 155 separate anti-Christian incidents in 2025 alone, including 61 physical assaults, 52 attacks on church infrastructure, 28 cases of harassment, and 14 incidents of vandalism. The centre warns that the recorded figures represent only the “tip of the iceberg”, with many incidents going unreported. Violence targeting Christian sites has also extended beyond Palestinian territories: Israeli forces in southern Lebanon have damaged church buildings, bulldozed part of a Catholic convent, and released footage of soldiers desecrating religious statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary.
Isaac called on global church leaders to follow the Church of England’s lead, and to amplify the growing number of Jewish voices that oppose the war in Gaza and criticize Israeli policies. “It is long overdue for church leaders around the world to listen more carefully to the growing number of Jewish voices who oppose the genocide and speak critically of Zionism and the State of Israel. These are important voices for genuine dialogue today,” he said. Addressing the common claim that criticism of Israel amounts to antisemitism, Isaac added: “Criticism of Israel must not be confused with antisemitism. Yet this remains a repeated tactic among some of those who opposed the vote, and I believe people are increasingly fed up with attempts to equate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Such accusations should not be used to silence legitimate moral, theological and political criticism.”