Bishop of Norwich reflects on the Middle East horrors

A year ago today I was in Gaza. The Mediterranean glistened, the streets were busy and the shops looked well stocked. Whilst there were plenty signs of poverty, it was a vibrant place, full of different sounds and the smell of spices.

I sat down to a delicious lunch, including the freshest of dates, with my friend Archbishop Hosam, the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem, and the senior medical staff of the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza City.

The hospital is an Anglican institution which at the time was serving the poorest people in Gaza, pioneering breast cancer prevention and treatment, and specialising in child health.

Little did any of us sitting round that table know that less than three days later Hamas would launch a horrific and brutal attack on Israel with a wave of torture and killing.

It was the biggest loss of Jewish life in one day since the atrocity of the Nazi holocaust. The evidence that has emerged since is truly unimaginable.

It includes the worst possible de-humanising crimes.

Whilst in Gaza I was given a priest’s stole embroidered by a Palestinian Christian woman.

Little did I know that the red embroidery would come to symbolise for me so much bloodshed.

I was back in Jerusalem on October 7 and, in the subsequent days, took cover in a bomb shelter when in-bound Hamas rockets were fired.

The early warning system gave me a 90 second warning on my phone.

Since then, I have followed with increasing unease the unfolding horror of events in Israel, Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.

The scale of human suffering is unimaginable. The rockets, bombings, killings and the escalation of the war simply must stop.

War is not the answer. The future can only be found in a just peace for all the people of those lands, including the right of both Israelis and Palestinians to live peaceful, secure and safe lives within UN agreements.

In the spring I met with a group of family members of the hostages held in Gaza.

Their turmoil, and the psychological trauma they daily face, is indescribable. Its pain was literally etched into their faces. Hamas and its partners must immediately release these hostages from the darkness of their fear-filled tunnel existence back into the loving arms of their families.

(Image: Diocese of Norwich) At the same time, I have been listening to Palestinians affected. The Al Ahli hospital has been bombed, both by Israel and by a misfired Hamas rocket.

Staff members have been rounded up and held for weeks by the Israeli army.

Miraculously the hospital continues to function, supported by overseas donations including those from parishes in the Diocese of Norwich.

It is now the only functioning hospital in Gaza City and it received a delivery of urgently needed equipment just a few days ago.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank the situation is deteriorating. Within a short distance of the place of Jesus’ birth, in places similar to where the shepherds heard the message of the angels, the war in Gaza is being used as a smoke screen for violent land grabs by Israeli settlers from Palestinian families.

Earlier this summer the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion found that the Government of Israel's occupation and policies are illegal under international law and violate the rights of the Palestinian people.

Some of these are Christian families, the “living stones” of the Holy Land.

They are a fragile community, as are their relatives in Gaza where less than a thousand Christians remain.

At a time when the international order is under such duress, and when the commitment to a rules-based system is in question, it is imperative that governments around the world reaffirm their unwavering commitment to all decisions by the International Court of Justice, irrespective of the situation. Israel cannot act as if it is above the law.

On our own streets the debate has become polarised. I will, no doubt, be criticised by those who takes sides that I have not supported their cause enough in this article.

However, that misses my calling to be a bridge-builder and a seeker of peace and justice.

Long ago the prophet Isaiah offered the world a compelling vision of peace:

They shall beat their swords into ploughshares

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation;

neither shall they learn war any more.

The message of hope from this ancient prophet remains the only true path forward in our fearful and violent world. Isaiah refused to be a pessimist about peace.

Enemies can become allies. Out of darkness can come light.

I long for a table with delicious local food, like the one I sat at in Gaza a year ago today, but around it are Jews, Muslims and Christians sharing, crying, laughing and enjoying the gift of life together.

The rise of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in this country and around the world instead creates separate, fear-filled tables behind walls. It is the very opposite of Isaiah’s vision of a peaceable future.

My friend, Archbishop Hosam, has said, “we pray without ceasing for justice, reconciliation, peace, and an end to hatred and war. For we are in dire need of hearts that love, show mercy, and are willing to live in unity with others.”

Please use these coming days to mourn with me for the thousands of innocent people who have been killed. Pray with me for peace in the land held holy by people of the Abrahamic faiths.

And work with me to ensure that we do all we can to reject that which threatens to divide us in our own communities.