Archbishop calls for energetic peace moves

DR ROWAN Williams, in his last Easter sermon as Archbishop of Canterbury, called on Christians to support organisations that work for reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians such as One Voice and the Bereaved Families Forum.

Dr Williams — who attended an event in support of One Voice in London last month — said in his address at Canterbury Cathedral on Saturday: “All who love both the Israeli and the Palestinian communities and long for their security will feel more desperate than ever.

“A visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, will convince you why the state of Israel exists and must go on existing. A visit to any border checkpoint will convince you that the daily harassment and humiliation of Palestinians of all ages and backgrounds cannot be a justifiable or even sustainable price to pay for security.

“Listening to a rabbi talking about what it is like to witness the gathering up of body parts after a terrorist attack is something that can’t be forgotten; neither is listening to a Palestinian whose parent or child has been killed in front of their eyes in a mortar bombing.”

But rather than “turning up the volume of partnership”, he said, the response should be to put “immense energy into supporting those on the ground who show that they believe in a God who acts — those who continue, through networks like One Voice and the Bereaved Families Forum, to bring together people from both sides and challenge them to discover empathy and mutual commitment.”