The Church of England’s complicity in Gaza war crimes
JVL Introduction
In an extended 13,000+ word essay published in May, the Rev Stephen Sizer looked at the Church of England’s complicity in the Gaza genocide.
Here Jonathan Coulter of the Campaign against Misrepresentation in Public Affairs, Information and the News (Campain) summarises the argument.
Sizer shows how Church spokespeople have consistently taken a pro-Israeli framing points as their point of reference shown, for example, in how they talk of Israel’s right to self-defence, the belief that antisemitism underlies the ceasefire demonstrations, their demonisation of Hamas and much more.
Just look at their language: abhorrent, atrocities, pogrom, terrorist action, brutality, human shields and indiscriminate to describe Hamas’s actions; proportional, discriminate, bombardment and ground offensive for Israel’s.
“Gaza today has become the moral compass of the world”, insisted the Reverend Dr. Munther Isaac in his 2023 Christmas sermon “Christ in the Rubble.”
What compass is the Church of England relying on?
RK
This article was originally published by Campain on Tue 4 Jun 2024. Read the original here.
The Church of England’s complicity in Gaza war crimes
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Clearly, Welby does not know, or does not appreciate, the difference between Zionism and Judaism. He appears to conflate Zionism with Judaism, a religion which can be respected. Conversely, Zionism has at its core, the total rejection of the human rights of Palestinians. So much so, that Palestinians can be murdered with impunity. If Welby had any respect for the human rights of all, he should have no hesitation in rejecting Zionism as an evil aberration of Judaism.
I hadn’t heard of Stephen Sizer before so I looked him up here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Sizer
I had the pleasure of hearing Desmond Tutu speak in Oxford Town hall many years ago. Welby has not quite got where he is by getting through the eye of a needle.
It is very sad, but as a Baptist Christian , I think it would be a great mistake to assume that Archbishop Welby actually speaks for the majority of Anglican Christians. Indeed, his statements are best perceived as very personal deliberations, probably related to an exaggerated respect for the British Board of Deputies and their associated lobby, as also seems to be the case for Kier Starmer and other politicians. I have many Anglican friends and know of not a single one who supports the approach of the Archbishop.
For myself, the soundbite attitude that “Israel has the right to defend itself” as even remotely a justification of the horror of what is happening in Gaza, cannot possibly emanate from a deep reading of the Gospel of Christ. It cannot be anything else than a spiritual and moral aberration. Perhaps the Archbishop is uncomfortable in engaging in political language? Perhaps he has a deficit of knowledge and understanding of the appalling treatment of the Palestinians people over many decades? He shouldn’t because very many Anglican priests and lay members actively empathise with the plight of the Palestine people.
Amanda Sebestyen: Are you suggesting that we take Pro-BoD and Zionist smears against Dr Sizer as justified criticisms? The BoD is a pro-Zionist organisation, (most Zionists are CHRISTIAN and not all Jews are Zionists – certainly not ethnic cleansing, colonial Zionists)
Justin Welby is indeed the Arch-hypocrite of Cant, as I have indeed written before. I used to be an occasional attender at my local parish church but I lost my motivation after Welby publicly supported the lies about widespread antisemitism within the Labour Party just before the 2019 general election. That was done to leave the way clear for the State of Israel to indulge in its genocide of the indigenous people of Palestine.
Welby has had his day and has let the Anglicans down. If the Church of England’s cowardice causes people to leave and join other denominations or set up their own, then that is on his shoulders !
It is dispicable that you have a Pastor being a role model for Christians, showing love and compassion, solidarity to their Palastinian Muslim brethren, and the arch-bishop is so biased and rightwing giving into the Zionist propaganda, backwards AS stuff that all Jews think alike !
This is the comment I put on the Facebook post of this article, which I repeat here for convenience:_
Of course, Welby has got it wrong from his support for the Chief Rabbi’s moans about anti-semitism in the Labour Party before the 2019 election to his initial refusal to meet Munther Isaac recently. I met Munther Isaac when he was in London before Easter and told him he was promoting what true Christianity was (lots of youtube by him for those interested in someone who will not give up hope). The problem is that political aims overshadow religion. The Church of England is an adjunct to the Conservative Party, which is infested by what we used to call “heathens”. …zionists don’t care about what Abraham told the Jewish people (“Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness…”) so it is difficult to contend they are following the Jewish religion. It is difficult to see an end to all this…Ordinary people want peace and justice and it would be better if we all started loving our neighbours as ourselves.
Israel has a ‘right and duty’ to ‘defend itself’? Is that so? Does the CofE have no idea at all of exactly how Israel fulfills its ‘rights’ and ‘duties’? Has the CofE never enquired into exactly what it is that Israel is defending? Have they no knowledge at all of the crimes that have been committed against innocent Palestinians, i.e. those free of bigotry and hatred towards Jews, for so many decades now? Why so loyal to the Board of Deputies brand? I feel that this passage from Matthew 7:15-20 is fairly apposite here:
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
My reply to anyone that says Israel has a right to defend itself or Hamas started the war etc, remember the BBC on every evening News programme, would repeat, (Hamas, designated by the Government as a Terrorist organisation”), implying they were to blame.
75 years of Nakba, murders, Farms & Villages Bulldozed, massive Land theft, the creation of the World’s Largest Concentration Camp in Gaza, which they bomb regularly killing 1000s, 7000 prisoners in Israeli prisons, 160 are children many never charged! Yet Hamas are the Terrorists 🙄 Plus it isn’t a war, Israel has every modern HiTec weapon available, they have a Fully Armed Army, Navy and Airforce, Missiles that just one can demolish a whole block of flats, Hamas has rifles and rockets that can make a hole in a tiled roof.
In 3 months Israel dropped 65000 tons of bombs on Gaza!! It is not a war!!