I was delighted to meet today with my brother in Christ, the Reverend Fadi Diab, the Anglican priest from St Andrew’s Ramallah in Palestine.
In listening to him I heard again how the war in Gaza has upended life in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and created untold misery and suffering to thousands of families.
Roadblocks, closures and the suspension of work permits have pushed countless families into poverty.
The withholding of tax receipts to the Palestinian Authority has pushed basic services and critical infrastructure to the edge of collapse.
The arming of settlers in the illegal settlements of the West Bank has intensified violence and contributed to a level of death and destruction not seen since the Second Intifada.
The senseless killing of Rami Hamdan Al Halhouli, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy in East Jerusalem earlier this week, underlines all that is wrong with this cruel and horrific war.
A 12-year-old holding a firework is not a terrorist but simply an innocent child holding a firework. There is no justification for his death.
This war and its killing needs to end and it needs to end now. All hostages need to be released. Immediate and unrestricted aid must be secured to address the famine-like conditions in Gaza.
I give thanks to the ministry of Father Fadi Diab at this critical time, and I pray that God will guide and watch over him, the wider Diocese of Jerusalem, and all Christian churches as they provide comfort and support to those most in need.
