The meeting between the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally has effectively sidelined the anti-Israel motion overwhelmingly passed by the Church of England’s General Synod in July 2026.
Enthused by the Palestinian cause after her visit to Israel and the West Bank at the invitation of the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum, in June, Archbishop Mullally supported the motion encouraging Synod members to ‘engage with’ with Kairos II, a document produced by Palestinian Christians accusing Israel of genocide. But her enthusiasm for Kairos II has noticeably waned following the reaction of British Jews.
The Board of Deputies’ statement after their meeting with Archbishop Mullally at Lambeth Palace on September 10th smelt nicely of successful lobbying. Their press release the following day proclaimed:
‘President Phil Rosenberg and colleagues from the Board of Deputies of British Jews met yesterday with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, and her team in Lambeth Palace, to discuss Christian-Jewish relations in the UK and the deep religious, cultural and historical ties of the Jewish people with the land of Israel.’
The Board was upfront about the main purpose of the meeting, which was to bend the Archbishop’s ear about the disgraceful General Synod motion:
‘The Board of Deputies conveyed the concerns of the Jewish community regarding the recent Synod Motion relating to the Kairos documents, including the erasure in the Kairos II document of Jewish identity and history, as well as concerns related to the Archbishop’s recent visit to the region. We welcomed the Church’s commitment to hear a wide range of perspectives from Israelis and Palestinians, both here in the UK and through future visits to the region.’
Back in July, soon after the Synod motion passed, British Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, left Archbishop Mullally in no doubt about how much it had upset British Jews.
Following his meeting with her at Lambeth Palace on July 24th, he said:
‘I appreciated the opportunity to have a comprehensive discussion with the Archbishop of Canterbury about the decision of the Church of England General Synod to pass a resolution that hears the Kairos Palestine II document, and encourages the Church at all levels to engage with it, despite the alarming and appalling elements within the document.
‘I shared with her the deep pain felt by many in the Jewish community on account of the Synod’s most deplorable decision, and emphasised the need for the Church to seek ways to repair the damage that has been caused to Christian-Jewish relations.’
Archbishop Mullally knew she had to try to smooth things over. She said: ‘I was grateful to welcome Chief Rabbi Mirvis to Lambeth Palace today, and for our honest conversation about events of the past few weeks. Following the recent General Synod motion, I am deeply saddened by the hurt and distress that so many in the Jewish community are feeling. I took the opportunity to say that both I and the Church of England recognise the profound connection that the Jewish people have to the State of Israel.’
Because of the way the Church of England is governed with Archbishops and Bishops being office holders and not employees or elected delegates, the fact is that the General Synod cannot dictate to the Archbishop of Canterbury how she conducts herself in her office.
Archbishop Mullally is sufficiently grounded in reality to be able to apply the Washington DC test to herself and the Chief Rabbi. She knows the answer to the following question: if the British Chief Rabbi were to arrive in Washington, what kind of reception would he get compared to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s?
She would probably be met at the airport by a delegation from The Episcopal Church of the United States and be allowed to preach to the choir at the Anglican Cathedral in Washington. He would be feted by the media and pro-Israel delegations from the moment he set foot in Dulles International Airport and might well get a meeting with US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
That is the political reality and Archbishop Mullally knows it. It looks like the General Synod anti-Israel motion is dead in the water.
Julian Mann, a former Church of England vicar, is an evangelical journalist based in Lancashire, UK.