Cardinal and Archbishop of Canterbury oppose annexation of West Bank territory

archive image M.Mazur CCN

Source: CCN

This week, the Archbishop of Canterbury Most Rev Justin Welby and the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster Most Rev Vincent Nichols wrote to both the Israeli Ambassador, Mark Regev, and the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, expressing their opposition to any move by the Government of Israel to annex West Bank territory after 1 July 2020.

These letters followed the recent warning from the leaders of Churches in the Holy Land that the Government of Israel's proposed annexation of West Bank territory would "bring about the loss of any remaining hope for the success of the peace process."

In each letter they made clear they "unambiguously support the fundamental right of Israel's citizens to live in peace and safety but these prospects can only be secured through negotiation rather than annexation."

It is essential that both Israelis and Palestinians may live without violence or the threat of violence from each other or other armed groups, the Cardinal and Archbishop emphasised.