The United Reformed Church (URC) has supported an ecumenical effort to convey concerns around Liz Truss’ plans to weigh up the possible relocation of the British embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
In a private letter to the Prime Minister, sent on 11 October, The URC, Methodist Church in Great Britain, the Church of Scotland, Quakers in Britain, and other churches and Christian humanitarian organisations with a long history of working with Palestinians and Israelis striving for peace, urged Liz Truss to drop plans to review the location of the British embassy.
Her plans echo that of Donald Trump who caused controversy in 2017 when he announced his decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and then officially made the move a year later.
The letter’s signatories asked the Prime Minister to instead “maintain the obligation of all nations to respect the historic status quo of the Holy City, in conformity with the relevant UN resolutions”.
The Revd Philip Brooks, URC Deputy General Secretary, said: “We take very seriously the possibility that the British government might move its embassy to Jerusalem and see this as a retrograde step, particularly in terms of working towards a peaceful settlement in the Holy Land.”
In the letter, the signatories reminded Liz Trust that “The Holy Land Co-ordination, mandated by the Holy See, and made up of Christian church leaders from around the world, after its May 2022 visit stated: ‘Jerusalem is a Jewish city, a Christian city, a Muslim city. It must remain a common patrimony and never become the exclusive monopoly of any one religion. It is our right and duty as Christians to uphold the city’s openness and universality’.”
The signatories added that “the occupied Palestinian territory remains precariously fragile” and that Palestinians were “feeling particularly vulnerable at the moment and seek the protection, dignity and reassurance that their neighbours enjoy”.
The letter concluded with a warning that “a review of the location of the embassy would only send a negative signal that would not serve the interests of a sustainable and just peace for all, Palestinian and Israelis alike”.
The letter follows a statement released by The Council of the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem on 10 October, which said it was “gravely concerned” at the Prime Minister’s plans.
The organisations involved in writing to the Prime Minister are:
Christian Aid
Church of England
CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development
Sabeel-Kairos
Quakers in Britain
Amos Trust.
Embrace the Middle East
Church of Scotland
The Methodist Church in Great Britain
The United Reformed Church
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