Ben White, writing for the Electronic Intifada, reports on the proceedings of the Anglican General Synod meeting in York this week, Church of England backs Palestine motion in spite of strong Israel lobby pressure
Today the Church of England General Synod — the church’s legislative body — overwhelmingly voted in favor of a Private Members Motion (PMM) on Palestine/Israel, in spite of pressure from pro-Israel organizations before and during the gathering.
In an embarrassing defeat for the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD) and the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC), both of whom had lobbied hard for Synod to reject the motion, members also rejected an amendment by the Bishop of Manchester which would have omitted support for the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI).
A huge majorityRead the rest of his report here
During the afternoon debate, speaker after speaker backed the PMM, and praised the work of EAPPI. When it came to the vote, which was done according to ‘house’, bishops voted 21 to 3 in favour (with 14 abstentions), clergy 89 to 21 (44 abstentions), and laity 91 to 30 (35 abstentions). In total, the unaltered motion received 201 votes, while only 54 members voted against.
For more on the work of EAPPI by Ben White, see here
See also:
The Jewish Chronicle Church Synod vote in support of EAPPI motion
Council of Christians and Jews CCJ advises caution on General Synod motion
George Conger, Church of England Newspaper Jewish leaders urge Synod to reject Palestine motion:
BibleLands UK Charity BibleLands Calls On General Synod To Affirm Its Support For Agencies Working For A Just Peace In Israel-Palestine
