ISRAEL “must not become its own worst enemy”, the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, has warned, on his return from a five-day visit to Jerusalem and the West Bank. Last week, he reiterated the call, warning: “Continued military action will only intensify this humanitarian catastrophe and make the prospects for peace more distant. On Monday, Bishop Chessun said that it was “understandable” that Israel’s focus was on security in the wake of the “atrocity” of 7 October. These were “honourable, good people — Jewish, Palestinian, Christian, Muslim — interested in dialogue, in healing divisions, in justice, in a better tomorrow. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, told the Davos conference that, without a “pathway to a Palestinian state”, Israel would not “get genuine security”.

Source: The Times January 23, 2024 12:06 UTC