Church writes to Foreign Secretary on Israel-Gaza war

The Church of Scotland's Israel Palestine Committee has written to the UK Government to urge for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

The request is set out in a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP which also calls on the government to recognise the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel without delay, and to join the other 145 countries in the world who currently do so, in order to contribute to a lasting peace and justice for all.

The Israel Palestine Committee of the Church of Scotland however noted its disappointment that the UK Government had not seemingly pushed for a permanent ceasefire, and asked that this would be part of their ongoing discussions. Further, the Committee noted its disappointment that the suspension of arms export licences had been delayed, despite the recent International Court of Justice ruling that Israel is in breach of International Law throughout the Occupied Territories.

The actions of Hamas on October 7 2023 which led to the murder of over 1,000 mainly Israeli citizens, and the hostage taking of hundreds more, was an act of terror that we condemn. Our call for a permanent and immediate ceasefire will allow these hostages to be released. We also recognise the thousands of Palestinians currently held without charge in administrative detention in Israel, including Layan Nasir, a member of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and have asked that the Government acts to secure their immediate release.

Read the letter in full:

Rt Hon David Lammy MP

Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs

King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
United Kingdom

9 August 2024

Dear Foreign Secretary

Congratulations on your appointment to HM Government and be assured of the interest of the Church of Scotland in the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Please know that the Church of Scotland regularly prays for our leaders and representatives and we will continue to do so as you take on your duties of public service and in working for a world which is fairer and more peaceful.

The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has called on members of the Church to pray for peace in the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas and in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, and has instructed us to urge the UK Government:

• to call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza;
• to cease granting export licences for the sale of armaments to Israel;
• to reinstate funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); and
• to recognise without delay the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, as a contribution to securing lasting peace and justice for all.

We were glad that during your first visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in July, you called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and a rapid increase of humanitarian aid into Gaza. We were also glad that on the 19th of July you announced that the UK would restart funding to UNRWA.

However, we believe that there should be a clear reference to a permanent ceasefire in your ongoing discussions, in order to stop the suffering of the people of Gaza, and to help avert the very real fear of a wider regional war. This permanent ceasefire should also be agreed to by Hamas. There is still time for Israel to change course, but that needs pressure from the UK Government in collaboration with other countries. We also firmly believe that a ceasefire will enable the hostages currently held in Gaza to be released.

On that note, we would like to raise the case of Layan Nasir, a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, who is currently being held in administrative detention. Having been arrested at gunpoint in her home in April, her detention has just been extended by a further four months, still without being charged. She is being held in Haifa and her family and priest are not allowed to even visit with her. We would ask that the UK Government acts to secure her release, along with thousands of others who are in a similar situation and held without charge.

We were very disappointed to read last week that the UK Government has put off a decision on suspending arms export licences to Israel, despite initially being in favour of doing so. It is clear from the recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that Israel has violated international law in Gaza and in the West Bank. Whilst it is understood that UK companies provide only a small amount of the total number of arms to Israel, it still makes them complicit in Israel's ongoing violations of international law. We call on the UK Government to immediately suspend arms export licences to Israel.

During your visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, you made the urgent case for a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution. We ask, however, that the UK Government goes further and recognises the State of Palestine, thus bringing the UK in line with the other 145 countries around the world who have done so. This has been the policy of the Church of Scotland for many years, and it is disappointing to us that recognition has not yet happened. It is even more vital now, given the Israeli Knesset's recent overwhelming decision to oppose any ‘unilateral' recognition of a Palestinian state.

The Church of Scotland has had a presence in Israel for many years, and we continue to run two churches, a school, and two hotels there. We also maintain close partnerships and relationships with projects, initiatives and faith groups in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories where we have shared aims of peace, justice and human rights. The commitment of the Church of Scotland to peace with justice is strengthened by the many members and ministers who have had the opportunity to visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, for work, pilgrimage or volunteering. Amongst many projects, one that we have supported for many years has been the World Council of Churches' Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, where Christians from around the world visit to support Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories, show solidarity, and bring back stories of what they have witnessed.

We also stand as part of a growing multifaith and international cry for an end to the conflict as soon as possible: a release of Israeli hostages, a permanent ceasefire for the civilians in Gaza, an end to our nation's arming another when those weapons are used for offensive rather than defensive purposes, and for an urgent increase in humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering and desperate need which has arisen.

We would be happy to meet with you or your colleagues to talk further about our work in Israel and to share some of our experience.

We look forward to hearing from you with a response to this letter, which we can share with our members.

Yours sincerely

Michael Yuille (Convener) Rev Alistair Cumming (Vice-Convener)

Israel Palestine Committee

Church of Scotland