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Three prominent Church of England bishops have accused the UK government of contributing to a “culture of impunity” in which Israel has accelerated its de facto annexation of the West Bank.
Guli Francis-Dehqani, the bishop of Chelmsford, Rachel Treweek, the bishop of Gloucester, and Graham Usher, the bishop of Norwich, visited Palestinian Christian communities in the occupied West Bank last week.
In a letter to the Guardian, they say they heard from people who felt they “have no other choice but to leave [their homes] or to die standing”.
They also say they are “incredulous” at the UK government’s failure to publish its legal response to the advisory opinion of the international court of justice (ICJ) in July 2024 that ordered Israel to end its unlawful occupation of Palestine.
“This inaction has contributed to a culture of impunity which the Israeli government has used to accelerate its de facto annexation of the West Bank,” the bishops say.
“Its instruments are administrative changes, continuous settlement expansion and growth, intensifying violence by Israeli troops and settler militia, the localised system of road closures, house demolitions, tightening access to water and electricity, deepening legal segregation and an unequal system of governance.”
Since October 2023, violent attacks by rightwing settlers on Palestinian communities in the West Bank have accelerated. A UN report last month found that settlers killed people, destroyed property and livelihoods, forced Palestinians from their homes and ripped communities apart. Israel’s laws, policies and practices had an “asphyxiating impact”, it said.
In their letter, the bishops say: “While world leaders met in Davos to debate futuristic plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, which are largely disconnected from reality, we visited and listened to Palestinian Christian communities across the West Bank as to their lived reality.”
They spoke to families “living in fear and torment – an unending nightmare where they are denied any possibility of living with even minimal dignity. The violence has robbed them of the ability to earn a living and provide for their families. Terrorised to the point of fearing for their lives, there is no one to protect them.
“Faced with such abandonment, and denied any agency as to their future, many now feel they have no other choice but to leave or to die standing. This seems to be the Israeli government’s intentional strategy.”
The bishops call on the international community to “uphold its obligations under international law to protect Palestinians”.
The British government must publish its response to the ICJ ruling and take necessary measures “not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory”, as stipulated by the court.
The bishops say: “The situation in the West Bank is a tragedy foretold. Before it is too late, we must stand up and do the right thing.”
