President of the Board of Deputies Phil Rosenberg has described as “highly problematic” a Church of England motion calling on members to “engage with” a Palestinian-Christian document that accuses Israel of genocide.

Phil said: “The motion passed at General Synod today is highly problematic. Kairos Palestine may come from a place of genuine pain, but the falsehoods and distortions of Kairos II, including its erasure of Jewish identity and experience, is a prescription for more division and not the answer to conflict in the Middle East. There is also a clear tension between the incendiary wording of the document and the Church’s expressed aim of tackling antisemitism.

“We thank our allies across the Church of England who worked to share our concerns and mitigate the harms associated with the Synod motions relating to Kairos Palestine, including by calling for dialogue with the Jewish community.

“We remain committed to working with Christians, Jews, Muslims and others in this country to tackle hatred and extremism and build a better future for all at home and abroad. We must not import conflict, but export peace instead. We will be stepping up that work over the coming days.”