Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Gerard Nichols have written to Israeli Ambassador to the U.K. Mark Regev and Prime Minister Boris Johnson to express their opposition to any move by the Government of Israel to annex West Bank territory after July 1.

These letters followed the recent warning from the leaders of churches in the Holy Land that the Government of Israel’s proposed annexation of West Bank territory would “bring about the loss of any remaining hope for the success of the peace process” (see ACNS Weekly Summary on 12 May 2020).

In each letter they made clear they “unambiguously support the fundamental right of Israel’s citizens to live in peace and safety but these prospects can only be secured through negotiation rather than annexation.”

It is essential that both Israelis and Palestinians may live without violence or the threat of violence from each other or other armed groups, the cardinal and archbishop emphasized.