The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, is one of a group of bishops with a close links to the Holy Land, who are welcoming the announcement that the UK has formally recognised a Palestinian state.
Bishop Graham Usher joined the Bishop of Southwark, who is the Church of England’s lead bishop for the Middle East, and the Bishops of Chelmsford and Gloucester, to issue a statement saying the decision could help undercut extremist narratives and strengthen moderates.
The announcement by the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer – coordinated with similar moves by the governments of France, Canada, Australia and Portugal – came on the day that churches held a day of prayer for peace in the Middle East.
The bishops said:
“We welcome the decision of His Majesty’s Government to recognise Palestinian Statehood – one that many bishops have advocated for over 10 years.
“We hold that it is the reasonable aspiration of all peoples to belong to a state and enjoy the merits of full and active citizenship on their own lands.
“The British Government recognised Israel’s right to self-determination and statehood in 1950, but it has delayed till now recognising Palestinian statehood as the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. This decision now provides much needed parity of esteem and equal status for both peoples.
“This decision will not alleviate the horrors unfolding in Gaza today – horrors that a UN Independent Commission of Inquiry described last week as genocide. Neither will it end the intensifying levels of settler violence, house demolition and administrative detention that we are witnessing across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“But, it does offer all Palestinians the hope of a future free from occupation and violence not only for them but for all future generations. It sends a strong moral and political signal that this occupation is unjust and untenable and must be brought to an end through negotiations.
“Recognising Palestinian statehood does not reward terrorism, but rather it undercuts extremist narratives and strengthens moderates. It gives the Palestinian Authority the legitimacy and pressure it needs to govern responsibly and to work towards the implementation of a two-state solution that provides for the creation of a sovereign, independent and viable Palestinian state – living in peace and security, side by side with Israel.
“Other actions by the UK Government – humanitarian, political and economic – must now accompany recognition. But recognition is essential, as a step towards the attainment of equal rights and the settling of a long standing debt that Britain owes the Palestinian people.”
- The Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun (House of Lords Lead Bishop for the Middle East)
- The Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Francis-Dehqani
- The Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek
- The Bishop of Norwich, Graham Usher
Picture: The Cremisan Valley in the West Bank