Displaced Palestinians gather on the coastal road near Wadi Gaza in the central Gaza Strip on Oct. 9 during an attempt to return to Gaza City after the announcement that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting. Photo: Associated Press

[Episcopal News Service] As a potential ceasefire takes shape in Gaza, Episcopalians and Anglicans hopeful for peace are also lamenting the news that an Anglican Palestinian woman has been imprisoned in a closely watched case that has raised concerns of Israeli overreach.

Layan Nasir, 25, spent eight months last year in administrative detention by the Israeli government without charge. Nasir, a member of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in the occupied West Bank city of Birzeit, was released in December 2024 but was convicted last month on unclear grounds in a court case that Anglican leaders said “lacks any legal or moral justification.” The court sentenced her to 7 1/2 months in prison.

On Oct. 9, the Very Rev. Richard Sewell, dean of St. George’s College in Jerusalem, posted an update on Facebook saying he was “shattered” by the news that Nasir had been taken to prison to serve her sentence.

Layan Nasir, a member of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in the occupied West Bank city of Birzeit, was sentenced to 7 1/2 months in prison on unclear charges.

“Layan and her family must now endure a further eight-month sentence in the brutal Israeli prison system.” Sewell said. “The timing is a particularly cruel blow but it’s a stark reminder of what Palestinians are truly up against in the continuing struggle which is not impacted by the agreement for Gaza.”

Israel and Hamas announced this week that they had agreed to take steps toward a truce to end two years of violence since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian territory’s densely packed civilian population.

Israel said the ceasefire would take effect Oct. 10, starting a 72-hour period in which both sides would exchange hostages and prisoners. Returning all remaining hostages has been a top priority of Israelis, while Palestinians and global leaders have urged Israel to end deadly airstrikes and military operations in Gaza, where more than 67,000 Palestinians are reported dead, neighborhoods were leveled, local infrastructure is in tatters and survivors face an intensifying humanitarian crisis.

“I urge all to seize this momentous opportunity to establish a credible political path forward,” United Nations Secretary General António Guterres said. “A path towards ending the occupation, recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, and achieving a two-state solution.”

Religious leaders in the Middle East also have been responding to the news of a ceasefire and hostage deal. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement welcoming the developments.

“The Patriarchate ardently hopes that this accord will be fully and faithfully implemented, so that it may mark the beginning of the end of this terrible war,” the statement said. “It also stresses the absolute urgency of immediate humanitarian relief and the unconditional entry of sufficient aid to Gaza’s suffering population. Above all, the Patriarchate prays that this step may open a path of healing and reconciliation for both Palestinians and Israelis.”

In the Church of England, a group of four bishops “with a close interest in the Holy Land” said they, too, welcomed the ceasefire, praying it will “bring immediate relief and comfort.”

“After two years of unimaginable death and destruction now is the time for all parties to turn away from war and commit to peace,” the bishops said. “A credible peace must start with a ceasefire, but it will not last without a fundamental shift in the attitudes and behaviors that, for too long, have maintained Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory and thwarted Palestinian self-determination and statehood. The settler violence in the West Bank must cease and the settlement-expansion program must be reversed.”

Churches for Middle East Peace, of which The Episcopal Church is a member, voiced “cautious hope” for the future of the region.

“After nearly two years of relentless warfare, widespread destruction and devastating loss of life, we pray this agreement marks a turning point toward peace, justice, and healing for all who call the Holy Land home,” Churches for Middle East Peace said.

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

“The ceasefire-hostage deal between Israel and Hamas has been far too long in the making, but it is welcome news for those caught up in this devastating violence.

“My prayers are with all the families being reunited over the coming days, and for those who are still held in captivity. My prayers too are with the people of Gaza who have suffered such immense destruction, deprivation and displacement. Now must be the time – again, so long overdue – for unfettered aid to reach the people of Gaza, and for the indispensable role of UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] to be respected and protected by all parties. May this deal be a precursor to a wider, more durable and just settlement in the region: it must not be a false dawn.

“Please pray for Archbishop Hosam and our Anglican sisters and brothers in Palestine and Israel, and for all the Christians of the Holy Land as they bear the light of Christ in such dark times. Pray too for the courageous staff of the Anglican Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, and those in their care. Across the West Bank, this war is being felt not just in the daily grievous news from Gaza, but through widespread intensification of the occupation. I pray this deal acts as a catalyst to bring freedom, justice and dignity to the Palestinian people as well as being a small step towards the long term security of both Palestinians and Israelis.

“We lift before God the peoples of the Holy Land, and for His justice, mercy and peace to be known by all.”

Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York

Layan Nasir, a member of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in the occupied West Bank city of Birzeit, was under administrative arrest by Israel. Photo: post on X

[Episcopal News Service] Layan Nasir, a 24-year Anglican Palestinian woman who had been held by Israel in administrative detention for eight months without charge, was released Dec. 5 after Episcopal and Anglican leaders joined global authorities this year in condemning Israel’s detention policies.

“We give thanks to God for answered prayers and to the advocates who have worked tirelessly to secure her freedom,” The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations said in a Dec. 6 statement reacting to the news of Nasir’s release.

Soldiers arrived at Nasir’s home in the West Bank village of Birzeit at 4 a.m. April 6 and threatened her family as they searched the house before taking her away. She had remained in detention without a timeline for charges or a trial. Former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and other bishops throughout the Anglican Communion called on Israel to release Nasir, who is a member of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Birzeit.

Since the war between Israel and Hamas started in October 2023, Israel has allegedly arrested 10,200 Palestinians, including Nasir, in the West Bank, according to Addameer, a Palestinian nongovernmental organization based in Ramallah in the West Bank.

“While celebrating Layan’s release, we lament the thousands of Palestinians who remain in administrative detention without charges, without a timeline for trial, and without contact with loved ones and religious leaders,” the Office of Government Relations said. “We ask that all Palestinians who are unjustly detained be released, and that all Israeli hostages be allowed to return home.”

The war has so far resulted in the deaths of more than 42,000 Palestinians and at least 1,200 Israelis, according to latest report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The Episcopal Peace Fellowship Palestine Israel Network, also known as EPF PIN, also released a statement Dec. 6. “While EPF PIN welcomes Nasir’s release, we recognize that the foundational injustice of Israel’s occupation and genocidal assault on Gaza continues unabated, indeed escalated,” the statement said.

Nasir had reportedly been detained previously in 2021 for nonviolent organizing activities as a student at Birzeit University. She completed her studies after being released from detention.

The Holy Land conflict was much discussed in June during the church’s 81st General Convention, held in Louisville, Kentucky. At least 16 resolutions related to the conflict were proposed for bishops’ and deputies’ consideration. One of the resolutions (D075) adopted by convention called for Nasir’s immediate release.

Over the last year, protests calling for a ceasefire and divestment from companies with financial ties to Israel have spread worldwide, including dozens of colleges across the United States.

“The Episcopal Church continues to advocate for an immediate and sustained ceasefire, full humanitarian access, and an end to impunity and violence,” The Office of Government Relations said in its press release. “We remain committed to pursuing a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land.”

EPF PIN noted in its press release that Nasir was released at the same time a report from Amnesty International was published, concluding after an investigation that Israelis committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

“EPF PIN will continue to strive for just peace for Palestinians,” the press release said.

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

The Episcopal Church, in collaboration with other members of Churches for Middle East Peace, observed the one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza with an Oct. 7 virtual ecumenical service of lament. Nearly 42,000 Palestinians and about 1,200 Israelis, all mostly civilians, have been killed since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023. Photo: Screenshot

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Church, in collaboration with other members of Churches for Middle East Peace, observed the one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza with an Oct. 7 virtual ecumenical service of lament.

“When people here are feeling so devastated by violence and war, we come together in prayer and vigil, asking God’s peace to be upon the Holy Land and throughout the world, where there’s so much killing; there’s so much violence; there’s so much hatred,” Archbishop Hosam Naoum, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and primate of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, told those gathered. “People – whether they are Jews, Muslims or Christians – they are all God’s children, and everybody deserves a life of dignity and a life that ensures that everybody can live in justice and in peace.”

An untold number of people attended the hourlong service held on Zoom. Non-scheduled speakers, the attendees who were off camera, were able to offer their own prayers using the online-meeting platform’s chat function. Churches for Middle East Peace is a U.S.-based nonprofit ecumenical coalition of more than 35 Christian denominations and organizations that mobilize U.S. Christians to support human rights and justice for people in the Middle East through education, prayer and advocacy. The group also works to elevate the voices of human rights activists and organizations in the Middle East.

Israel declared war on Hamas after the armed Palestinian militant group, which controls Gaza, launched a coordinated, cross-border attack on communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, massacring more than 1,200 Israeli civilians and taking 251 hostages. Israeli officials estimate that 97 of those hostages are still being held by Hamas and 33 are dead.

“May we grieve alongside every person who lost a loved one on Oct. 7, having empathy for their suffering,” said the Rev. Mae Elise Cannon, executive director for Churches for Middle East Peace and an ordained minister in the Evangelical Covenant Church. “Oct. 7 was by no means the starting point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it was a day that changed history.”

Israel’s military responded to Hamas’ attack, first with airstrikes and then a ground invasion of the 140-square-mile, densely populated Gaza Strip. Nearly half of the estimated 2 million Palestinians living there have fled, and those remaining are experiencing a humanitarian crisis and severe famine.

The Palestinian death toll is nearing 42,000, according to the Hamas-led Health Ministry, and the Israeli death toll is about 1,200, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Civilians make up the majority of both death tolls.

“The attacks of Hamas and the subsequent bombardment of Gaza by the Israeli military have devastated families, entire generations and entire communities. …For many people in Israel and Palestine, October the seventh has never ended,” Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America said. “We lift our prayers of lament and unceasing hope for an end to this war and a permanent just solution for the people of Palestine and Israel.”

Gaza had already been facing a humanitarian crisis before the war began. Nearly two-thirds of the population was in poverty, thousands of whom lived in refugee camps operated by the United Nations.

Since the war started, Israel has arrested more than 9,900 Palestinians in the West Bank, including Layan Nasir, a 23-year-old Palestinian Anglican woman. She’s been held in administrative detention without charge since April 6.

“We, the children of God, must make peace between all God’s children. Every human being is God’s creation … created with his holy hands,” said Greek Orthodox Fr. Emmanuel Awad, head priest of Dormition of Theotokos Church in Aboud, a Palestinian village west of Ramallah in the West Bank. “We need to live in peace, because peace is love and God is love.”

The Holy Land conflict was much discussed in June during the church’s 81st General Convention, held in Louisville, Kentucky. At least 16 resolutions related to the conflict were proposed for bishops’ and deputies’ consideration. One of the resolutions (D075) adopted by convention called for Nasir’s immediate release.

Over the last year, protests calling for a ceasefire and divestment from companies with financial ties to Israel have spread worldwide, including dozens of colleges across the United States. Pro-Palestinian protest encampments on college campuses oftentimes turned violent, leading to thousands of arrests in the spring 2024 semester and the cancellation of commencement ceremonies.

Rallies and vigils marking the Oct. 7 attack and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war that has now spread to other parts of the region are taking place across the United States.

“As Peacemakers, we’ve often been told to pray that line from the serenity prayer, ‘Lord help us to accept the things that we cannot change.’ But in this season, I would hope that we would also pray, ‘Lord, help us to change the things that we cannot accept,’” said Bishop Julius C. Trimble from the United Methodist Church.

Churches for Middle East Peace will host another virtual prayer service for peace in the Middle East on Oct. 9. 

Episcopalians can learn more by joining the Episcopal Public Policy Network.

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry delivers a video message on immigration on July 15, 2019. Photo: Episcopal Church, via video

[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Michael Curry sent a letter to President Joe Biden on July 23 calling on the U.S. government to push for an immediate and sustained ceasefire. He also called for a prolonged commitment to support Gazans as they rebuild; and to hold Israel accountable for human rights abuses, violence and illegal land seizures.

“We have expressed our horror at the loss of civilian life, Israeli and Palestinian, and have urged the U.S. government to use all the leverage it can to call for a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian access, the release of hostages, and an end to the death and suffering of innocent civilians, including children,” Curry wrote in the letter.

The presiding bishop’s letter to Biden coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States this week, a visit that has sparked nationwide protests and additional calls for a ceasefire. Netanyahu addressed a joint meeting of Congress in the afternoon on July 24. About 5,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. Capitol ahead of Netanyahu’s address, prompting Capitol Police to deploy pepper spray.

“Clarity begins by knowing the difference between good and evil, yet incredibly many anti-Israel protesters, many choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers,” Netanyahu said, describing the atrocities Hamas committed against Israeli citizens living in kibbutzim. “These protesters stand with them. They should be ashamed of themselves.”

In his letter, Curry cited several resolutions on Israel and Palestine passed last month during the 81st General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

“Our Church recognizes the moral and legal obligations of the United States to the people of Gaza, given the role of the United States in providing military aid and diplomatic support for the war,” Curry wrote. “The Episcopal Church opposes any military aid in violation of human rights (Resolution D012), and we must be prepared to join in historic levels of aid and investment to fund the restoration and rebuilding of Gaza (D009). We call for an immediate ceasefire (D056) as well as the release of all unjustly detained prisoners with a future ensuring equal rights and peace (D007).”

Curry also mentioned how the church has “raised concerns again and again” about attacks against Al Ahli Arab Hospital since the war between Israel and Hamas started in October 2023. Earlier this month, the hospital, which is operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, briefly closed in response to an Israeli evacuation order. The Diocese of Jerusalem also announced that a hospital ambulance had been fired on and severely damaged by a sniper; the driver was unharmed, and no patients were in the ambulance at the time.

“We recognize your longstanding support of Israel, but call on you to recognize that we cannot continue with this level of impunity, with assurances of change but ongoing violence and killing of civilians, targeting of medical facilities and staff, and bombing of refugee camps, U.N. facilities, and hospitals,” Curry said in his letter to Biden. “Please take this moment and use the power of the U.S. government to ensure Israel makes meaningful changes and to push forward a way of peace in the region.”

The war has resulted in the deaths of nearly 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza and at least 1,200 Israelis, according to the United Nations. On Oct. 3, Hamas took some 255 hostages; 135 have been released. The war has so far displaced almost 2 million Palestinians, or 83% of the population. Israel has allegedly arrested more than 9,700 Palestinians from the West Bank since the war started, according to Addameer, a Palestinian nongovernmental organization based in Ramallah in the West Bank.

A man holds a banner as Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest, on the day of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 24, 2024. Photo: Seth Herald/Reuters

Many of the protesters in Washington, D.C., are Jewish, and about 400 of them, including two dozen rabbis, participated in a July 23 demonstration in the House of Representatives office building, which led to 200 arrests by Capitol Police. Jewish Voice for Peace, an anti-Zionist human rights organization, staged the demonstration.

In the letter, Curry said The Episcopal Church also asks the Biden administration to support funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and to advocate for the release of Palestinians who are being held without charges or trial, as well as to “indicate a willingness” to discontinue U.S. security support to Israel.

The church has made repeated calls for the release of Layan Nasir, a 23-year-old Palestinian Anglican woman held in administrative detention without charge by Israel since April. 

— Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service based in northern Indiana. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Layan Nasir, a member of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in the occupied West Bank city of Birzeit, is under administrative arrest by Israel. Photo: post on X

[Episcopal News Service] An Israeli military judge has denied an appeal for the release of Layan Nasir, a 23-year-old Palestinian Anglican woman held in administrative detention without charge by Israel since her arrest in April, according to a July 11 action alert released by The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations.

“We are deeply concerned about the manner in which Layan Nasir was taken, her ongoing detention and the broader system that means many thousands of Palestinians are kept in administrative detention for months,” the action alert said.

Back in April, Nasir’s mother, Lulu Nasir, told Sky News that soldiers arrived at the family’s home at 4 a.m. April 6 and threatened them with guns as they searched the house before taking her daughter into custody. Israel hasn’t given any reason for Nasir’s detention. She is being held at Damon Prison near Haifa.

Nasir is a member of St. Peter’s Anglican Church in the occupied West Bank city of Birzeit. No timeline for charges, trial or release has been set in her case. Nasir’s priest, the Rev. Fadi Diab, and her family have been barred from visiting her.

“We join Anglican partners in asking for Layan’s release, and while her detention continues, we request that her priest and her family be able to visit her,” the Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations said in its action alert to the Episcopal Public Policy Network.

Israel has allegedly arrested more than 9,700 Palestinians from the West Bank since the Israel-Hamas war started in October 2023, according to Addameer, a Palestinian nongovernmental organization based in Ramallah in the West Bank.

The Holy Land conflict was much discussed at last month’s 81st General Convention, held in Louisville, Kentucky. At least 16 resolutions related to the conflict were proposed for bishops’ and deputies’ consideration. One of the resolutions (D075) adopted by convention called for Nasir’s immediate release.

At its April meeting, Executive Council urged “the end of the continued detention of thousands of Palestinians without charge, as particularly highlighted by the case of Layan Nasir.”

On July 8, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Anglican leaders worldwide condemned Israel’s forced closure of Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, which is operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Curry, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and others reiterated the call for a ceasefire. The Office of Government Relations’ action alert echoed the same sentiment, as well as additional calls for full humanitarian access to Gaza and the release of all hostages.

“We echo … the prayers of other bishops around the Anglican Communion who call for [Nasir’s] release, and for us to acknowledge the plight of all detained Palestinians,” the action alert said.

The Office of Government Relations is encouraging Episcopalians to contact the Biden administration to call for Nasir’s release, as well as the release of all “unjustly detained” Palestinians.

Episcopalians can join the Episcopal Public Policy Network to receive updates and action alerts and learn how to best advocate to elected officials.

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service based in northern Indiana. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Al Ahli Hospital, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, is providing medical care to patients as well as shelter and basic needs for family members within their compound. Photo: Courtesy of the Diocese of Jerusalem

[Episcopal News Service] Israel Defense Forces on July 7 forced Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City to close and evacuate all patients and staff after declaring the hospital’s immediate vicinity a “red zone” and conducting a series of drone strikes nearby, according to a July 8 statement from the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. The diocese operates the hospital.

“We protest the closure of our hospital in the strongest possible terms,” Archbishop Hosam Naoum, bishop of the diocese and primate of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, said in the statement. “In a time of warfare and great suffering it is essential that emergency healthcare services are maintained to treat the injured and the dying.”

The diocese’s statement also said one of its ambulances was fired upon as it was en route to Al Ahli, but no information about the driver and passengers is available.

“We stand in solidarity with our Anglican family, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, against the closure and evacuation of this vital diocesan health ministry,” Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said in a July 8 statement released by The Episcopal Church’s Office of Public Affairs. “This action violates the dignity of already-vulnerable people and is against international humanitarian law​.”

Hospitals must be protected under international humanitarian law.

I stand with my brother Archbishop Hosam Naoum in protesting the closure and evacuation of the Anglican-run Al Ahli hospital in Gaza in the strongest possible terms. And I condemn the attack on an ambulance en… pic.twitter.com/z4kZPX2huu

— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) July 8, 2024

The war between Israel and Hamas, which started in October 2023, has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 38,000 Palestinians in Gaza and at least 1,200 Israelis, according to the United Nations. The war has so far displaced almost 2 million Palestinians, or 83% of the population.

The Holy Land conflict was much discussed at last month’s 81st General Convention, held in Louisville, Kentucky. At least 16 resolutions related to the conflict were proposed for bishops’ and deputies’ consideration. 

Two of the resolutions (D007 and D056) adopted by convention called for an immediate ceasefire, with one additionally calling for humanitarian aid to Gaza and the release of all hostages and prisoners, as well as the condemnation of the increasing seizure of land and violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

In his statement, Curry reiterated the call for a ceasefire. 

“As a church, we again call for a ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to flow freely to all in need, and we pray for an immediate end to violence against civilian populations,” he said. 

Naoum attended General Convention, where he encouraged Episcopalians and Anglicans to advocate for a just and lasting peace. 

“I don’t claim to know or to have the magical solution,” he said in an interview with Episcopal News Service.  But, he added, he hopes his church can begin to help both Israelis and Palestinians take some small steps toward a solution. 

Palestinians carry their belongings as they flee the eastern part of Gaza City after they were ordered by Israeli army to evacuate their neighborhoods on July 7, 2024. Photo: Dawoud Abu Alkas/REUTERS

Early on in the conflict, a unit of Al Ahli was partly damaged by rocket fire, thought to have been fired by the Israeli military, and another deadly explosion in the hospital’s courtyard drew international condemnation, though Israel and the United States said that blast appeared to have been caused by Palestinian militants. The hospital had also served as a shelter for civilians.

Other Christian leaders also expressed dismay at the hospital’s forced closure. 

“The closure of the hospital, the evacuation, and the declaration of the area as a red zone, in addition to the firing upon the ambulance, are all unacceptable violations of humanitarian international law,” Churches for Middle East Peace, of which The Episcopal Church is a member, said in a July 8 statement. “International law demands that health establishments and units, including hospitals, should not be attacked. In addition, the already vulnerable, the wounded and the sick, and those seeking shelter should not be placed in further harm or jeopardy.”

Al Ahli Arab Hospital has been ministering as a Christian witness in Gaza City since 1882. The institution was founded by the Church of England’s Church Mission Society and was later run as a medical mission by the Southern Baptist Conference from 1954 to 1982. It then returned to the Anglican Church. Photo: Mary Frances Schjonberg/Episcopal News Service

World Council of Churches General Secretary the Rev. Jerry Pillay condemned the attacks and also called for an immediate ceasefire. 

“We call on all parties to end the violence immediately and agree to a ceasefire. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this tragic time,” Pillay said.

The American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, a nonprofit organization and the Diocese of Jerusalem’s main fundraising arm, continues to raise funds for the schools and health care institutions of the diocese, including Al Ahli.

“We appeal to the Israeli forces to permit us to continue our sacred ministry of medical care and healing,” Naoum said in the Diocese of Jerusalem’s statement. “We plead for an end to the targeting of civilians and all vulnerable people and demand all parties agree to an immediate ceasefire.”

The Episcopal Church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations is working with contacts in the White House, the U.S. Department of State and key congressional offices in response to Al Ahli’s closure, according to the church’s Office of Public Affairs.

In the statement, Curry encourages Episcopalians to join the Episcopal Public Policy Network to receive updates and action alerts and learn how to best advocate to elected officials.

“Let us pray particularly for the safety of the hospital’s patients and staff—and those who had been sheltering at the hospital who are now displaced again,” the presiding bishop said. “And as the prophet Micah said, may God give all of us the will and the courage to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service based in northern Indiana. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Bishops passed D013 – which supports a two-state solution – with amendments June 23, but the deputies’ Social Justice & International Policy Committee restored part of the original text the next morning. One of these changes involved reinserting the word “apartheid” to refer to the current government of Israel’s policies against the Palestinian people, a term the bishops were hesitant to use.

After a floor amendment removing the word failed, the deputies voted to pass the resolution as it was presented by the committee. It now returns to the bishops for another vote, following a conference committee meeting where the two houses will try to work out a potential compromise.

General Convention is a bicameral governing body, and bishops and deputies are assigned to parallel legislative committees on about two dozen topics. The parallel committees, though distinct, typically meet together for hearings and deliberations. Bishops and deputies work together to formulate their recommendations. If resolutions are amended in the house of initial action, the other house’s committee meets on its own to consider the amendment, and possibly revise or amend the resolution further.

Conference committees are created when there is a language dispute between the two houses, said House of Deputies Parliamentarian Bryan Krislock. The deputy members of the committee, appointed by President Julia Ayala Harris, include the chair and vice-chair of the Social Justice & International Policy Committee and three deputies, including the author of the resolution. 

Resolution D007 calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and prisoners, and humanitarian aid to Gaza. It also condemns the increasing seizure of land and violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The resolution passed without discussion.

Resolution D056 also came to the House of Deputies amended by the committee after its vote in the House of Bishops. D056, titled “Calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza,” originally described the acts of the Israeli government against the Palestinian people as an “ongoing genocide.” After the bishops voted to remove this language and instead call for prayers that the “conflict not end in genocide,” the deputies’ committee made further changes to indicate the situation constitutes genocide.

Janet Day-Strehlow, committee chair and deputy from the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, told the House of Deputies that the committee felt strongly about defining the violence as an ongoing genocide after listening to 160 diverse testimonies from Episcopalians across seven hearings on 16 resolutions the committee received on Israel and Palestine. 

“People want The Episcopal Church to speak out and take a stand,” she said. “Silence is considered complicity and that is not who we are. We are called on to be courageous even if it is uncomfortable.”

There must be a proven intent on the part of perpetrators to physically destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, to constitute genocide, as defined by the United Nations. 

Some deputies debated whether “genocide” is an appropriate word to use based on that definition, but some argued for its removal for strategic purposes, even if they believe it accurately describes the current situation in Gaza. The Rev. Megan Castellan, a deputy from the Diocese of Central New York and author of the original resolution, filed a floor amendment that would restore the bishops’ decisions to avoid giving them another chance to vote it down.

“It would be an awful betrayal of our responsibility as Christians to leave this place and remain silent on Gaza, which would happen if we fail to concur or pass this resolution,” Castellan said. “What this resolution wants to do is give every single Episcopalian the tools to act for peace, to pick up the phones and talk to their congressional leaders, and work for a ceasefire.”

The deputies’ committee had anticipated this line of reasoning and stood by the use of “ongoing genocide” because three other resolutions – now acts of convention – call for a ceasefire, and the church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations has urged Episcopalians to contact their congressional representatives advocating for a ceasefire for months already. This resolution, they said, could reiterate this call but stand as a stronger statement of conscience should it be adopted.

However, the house voted 57% yes to the amendment, restoring the bishops’ version of D056. The House then voted overwhelmingly to concur with the House of Bishops, making D056 an official act of convention.

Unlike other resolutions, the House of Deputies prayed before and after the votes for resolutions D013 and D056 to honor the gravity of the situation.

Before the house moved on to prayer book resolutions, one ordained deputy asked if the house could get a short break of music and dancing as a “palate cleanser.” President Julia Ayala Harris had earlier kicked off the evening’s legislative session by playing “Rhythm of the Night” by Corona while deputies waving glowsticks danced under colorful lights. She obliged the request for another short round of “Episco-disco” with the lights on. 

As the music began and some deputies danced, others remained seated and silent, and one deputy who had earlier defended the use of the word “apartheid” in the debate for resolution D013 stood up and walked out of the hall, waiting to return until the house resumed its business.

–Logan Crews, a former Episcopal Church Ecojustice Fellow, is a seminarian at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale who serves on the student leadership team of the World Student Christian Federation-United States.

Los Angeles Bishop John Taylor brought forward an amendment containing suggestions inspired by Pathways for Middle East Peace, a framework that guides inclusive approaches to prevent violent conflict. 

The first section, which originally described the acts of the Israeli government against the Palestinian people as an “ongoing genocide,” now decries Hamas’ “ongoing terrorist activity” since their attack on Oct. 7 and the “disproportionate loss of Palestinian lives that continues in Israel’s war against Hamas.” In the section that calls for a day of prayer, the resolution now asks for prayers that the “conflict not end in genocide.”

“As we all know from conversations that are swirling all over convention, the words that are important to people for a variety of reasons both substantive and emotional are ‘apartheid’ and ‘genocide,’” Taylor said. “One could have a worthy argument about whether genocide is now underway in Gaza. This resolution seeks only to pray that it not occur.”

Southeast Florida Bishop Peter Eaton proposed a further amendment to remove “genocide” completely, arguing the inclusion of the word takes away from the call for a ceasefire. 

Massachusetts Bishop Alan Gates spoke in opposition to the removal of “genocide,” saying the house is not here to quibble about definitions but that they do have an obligation as Christian bishops to name what they see. Israel’s violence against Palestinians in Gaza, Gates said, is genocidal.

“A prophetic cry in past tense is an oxymoron,” Gates said. “If we cannot issue a moral cry in the present sense, I am not sure what we are for.”

The house voted to keep “genocide” in the resolution’s call to prayer and pass D056 with all of Taylor’s amendments. It goes to the floor of the House of Deputies next.

Demonstrators line up outside the ballroom where the House of Bishops was to convene its afternoon session June 24 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville. Photo: Janet Kawamoto/Episcopal News Service

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include coverage of a deputies’ committee, which had met earlier in the day. Coverage that may have been lost in the volume of news. 

[Episcopal News Service – Louisville, Kentucky] Some 15 Episcopalians – lay and ordained – mostly representing the group Palestinian Anglicans and Clergy Allies and the Episcopal Peace Fellowship’s Palestine Israel Network began gathering outside the House of Bishop’s 30 minutes before the start of the June 24 afternoon legislative session.

They held signs quoting pleas of Palestinian Christians and calling for peace in Israel-Palestine. As a bishop walked by, one person called out, “Bishop, the light is on you.”

“We are deeply discouraged that, given the news from Gaza since October, the Episcopal bishops were so dismissive of the resolutions on Palestine yesterday,” Priscilla Read, a demonstrator and an exhibitor for the progressive Episcopal network, The Consultation, told Episcopal News Service. “There was no serious debate on issues that need serious debate.”

A day earlier, bishops voted no on four Holy Land resolutions and passed three. Two of the three resolutions passed with amendments. The Deputies’ Social Justice & International Justice Committee considered those amendments the morning of June 24 and further amended the resolutions. Deputies then referred the resolutions to the full House of Deputies.

Committee members’ discussion, however, focused primarily on four of the seven resolutions related to the long-standing conflict in the Holy Land and the more recent war between Israel and Hamas – resolutions that the bishops struck down.

It landed like a “gut punch,” said the deputies’ committee chair Janet Day-Strehlow from the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe.

Before the meeting ended, committee members urged each other to talk to their bishops.

Later that day, before bishops considered the June 24 legislation calendar, they brought back Resolution D006, one of the four they voted against on the previous day, for reconsideration. Southeast Florida Bishop Peter Eaton and New York Bishop Suffragan Allen Shin proposed the House reconsider the resolution, which condemns the political and theological ideology of Christian Zionism, saying it was voted down “rather fast.”

The bishops also introduced two amendments to D006: the first eliminated language about the “discriminatory nature” of the Israeli government’s policies and practices; and all of section 5, which asked the church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations to “challenge the granting of tax-exempt status to religious organizations engaged in Christian Zionist advocacy and activity that contribute to the oppression of Palestinians.” The latter, Eaton said, fell outside Office of Government Relations purview.

It was a conversation Shin had with Hosam Naoum, the Anglican archbishop in Jerusalem,  about the bishops’ June 23 vote – in which Naoum, he said, expressed disappointment in the bishops’ initial vote – that made him want to revisit.

Resolutions can only be reconsidered on the next legislative day and then require a two-thirds vote to pass, according to House Parliamentarian and Northwestern Pennsylvania Bishop Sean Rowe. Bishops passed D006 as amended.

It’s unclear what if any impact demonstrators, deputies and others upset by the bishops’ actions the previous day had on their decision to reconsider one of the four resolutions. As the legislative session ended, bishops exiting the hall were reluctant to answer questions from ENS.

The demonstration and the house’s action followed a lunchtime conversation with Naoum, sponsored by the Good Friday Offering and the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Around 70 people gathered to hear from the archbishop on how the Diocese of Jerusalem continues to provide pastoral care amid turmoil, and how other Episcopalians can offer support.

One question posed via a moderator to the archbishop was about divisions within the church concerning the war in Gaza and other related matters. In answer to the question, Naoum turned to the topic of General Convention resolutions.

The previous day, while discussing Resolution D004 which calls on convention to acknowledge Palestinians as Indigenous people of the lands, “lying between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River,” Atlanta Bishop Robert Wright asked if anyone had asked Naoum for guidance. Eaton responded, saying Naoum is not going to tell the bishops how to vote, so without his input, the house ought not to pass anything that might make his ministry in Jerusalem more difficult. D004 was voted down by bishops.

Naoum told the crowd he declined to tell either house how to vote because The Episcopal Church must decide for itself how it should act. He reiterated multiple times the need to reach across differences, sharing and learning from the stories of others.

“My plea to you wherever you stand on this issue, I want you to be reminded about one thing,” Naoum said. “Even if we stand on one side or the other, remember that those who are on the other side, they have also a narrative and a story we need to listen to. That is very important. Otherwise, we cannot be a church. We cannot be Episcopalians.”

One thing the archbishop made clear was that he wants a two-state solution, as would be affirmed by Resolution D013, passed by the bishops on June 23 and amended further by the deputies’ committee that morning.

One sign carried by demonstrators carried words from Lulu Aranki Nasir. Her daughter, Layan Nasir, is a 23-year-old Palestinian Anglican currently held in administrative detention without charge by Israel.  She was arrested at gunpoint in her home in the occupied West Bank city of Birzeit in early April. She continues to be held without charge in administrative detention by the Israelis.

The bishops passed Resolution D075, which calls for Layan Nasir’s immediate release.

During the demonstration, there was confusion as to whether General Convention permitted protests inside the convention center and whether demonstrators faced having their credentials revoked.

The Rev. Rebekah Hays Estera, a deacon in the Diocese of California, said what she and other Episcopalians were doing by holding signs was not something that should be prohibited by General Convention.

“Someone has a sign that says ‘be a voice for the voiceless,’ which is literally what President [Julia Ayala] Harris said at yesterday’s Eucharist,” Hays Estera said. “Being told that that’s discouraged, and we’re relegated to this one corner, that we’re going to have our badges revoked if we do more, it’s disappointing in the church.”

In addition to Resolution D075, one more Israel-Palestine-related resolution was up for discussion on June 24 in the House of Bishops. Resolution D056 calls Israel’s action against the Palestinian people a “genocide.” Bishops are somewhat divided on whether to label the atrocities of the current conflict a genocide.

The House voted to postpone the resolution until later in the convention.

–Logan Crews, a former Episcopal Church Ecojustice Fellow, is a seminarian at Berkeley Divinity School at Yale who serves on the student leadership team of the World Student Christian Federation-United States.