The head of the Anglican church and the head of the Catholic church in England and Wales have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Israeli Ambassador warning Israel not to annex the West Bank.
The West Bank is occupied Palestinian territory, parts of which Israel plans to take over, with the support of America, having already got a military presence there.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in May that he plans to occupy the area and not give Palestinians citizenship rights.
Discussions are due to begin on 1st July and this week, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster wrote to both the Israeli Ambassador, Mark Regev, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressing their opposition to any move to annex West Bank territory.
Their letters followed recent warnings from the leaders of churches in the Holy Land that the Government of Israel’s proposed annexation of West Bank territory would “bring about the loss of any remaining hope for the success of the peace process.”
In each letter they made clear they “unambiguously support the fundamental right of Israel’s citizens to live in peace and safety but these prospects can only be secured through negotiation rather than annexation.
“It is essential that both Israelis and Palestinians may live without violence or the threat of violence from each other or other armed groups,” the Cardinal and Archbishop emphasised.
