The Church of England is reviewing its investment in a company building Jerusalem’s light railway amid concern that the tramline “will help to cement Israel’s hold on occupied east Jerusalem”.
But the Church has stopped short of endorsing a campaign urged by Palestinian churches to boycott “everything produced” by Israel’s West
Bank occupation.
The boycott call was made in a document known as ‘Kairos Palestine’, issued by Palestinian Christians last December. It denounces “Israeli occupation of Palestinian land” as “a sin against God and humanity”.
‘East Jerusalem’ has never been anything but ‘occupied’; for cneturies by Turkey; 1917-48 by Britain; 1948-67 by Jordan; since 1967 by Jerusalem. It has never been a ‘Palestinian (half-)city.’