The Chief Rabbi has urged the Church of England to dismiss a report describing Israel as a "colonial enterprise" that has carried out a "genocidal war on Gaza".
Sir Ephraim Mirvis said the document, produced by the Kairos Palestine group of Christians, risked "undermining decades of careful relationship-building" between Christians and Jews and urged the CofE's General Synod not to adopt it when members meet next week.
Synod members will debate a motion for the Church to show solidarity with Palestinian Christians, to “lament the loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives” and to “reject antisemitism [and] anti-Muslim prejudice”.
A list of documents members will vote on includes A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide, known as Kairos II.
It says that “the genocidal war on Gaza is the continuation of the Zionist project to seize all of Palestine, emptied of its Palestinian people…This genocide has been carried out by Israel after decades of apartheid, settler colonialism [and] political repression.”
It adds that the state of Israel should be considered a “colonial enterprise built on racism”.
Kairos II condemns the violence of Hamas’ terror attack on 7 October 2023, but states that it was “born out of decades of injustice, oppression and displacement”.
In a statement, first reported by The Times, the Chief Rabbi said the document “presents a one-sided account of a complex conflict, downplays the historical experiences and legitimate concerns of Jewish people, and offers little more than political activism dressed up as theology".
He added: “While it is important to recognise the suffering of Palestinian Christians, this document does so in a way which can only harm the cause of peace. It is truly shocking that a document which purports to speak in the name of truth, contains so much falsehood – using extreme rhetoric to challenge the very concept of a Jewish state, and to oppose existing peace agreements in the region.
“At a time when Christian-Jewish relations require nuance, trust and a willingness to engage with complexity, Kairos II risks undermining decades of careful relationship-building. Meaningful progress begins when the dignity, aspirations and suffering of all peoples are acknowledged. Kairos II takes us further away from that goal, not closer to it."
The Venerable Stewart Fyfe, the Archdeacon of West Cumberland, tabled the initial motion and rejected the claim he was asking Synod to endorse the views of Kairos II. He said the initial motion was about caring for all people of the Holy Land, with “heartfelt expressions of the lived experience of the Palestinian church” and showing concern for “the Jewish as well as Palestinian population".
“We’ve very carefully not used the words ‘genocide’ or ‘apartheid’, we’ve not made a judgment [on] that. We’re saying: ‘Let’s at least read these documents, let’s hear why they are saying this, and let’s seek an understanding’”, he told The Times.
General Synod opens on Friday in York, with the Middle East motion to be debated on Monday.