The UK’s spiritual leaders have urged Liz Truss to drop her plan to maneuver the British embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, warning it’s going to injury hopes of peace within the Middle East.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster have each spoken out towards the proposed transfer – which might copy the controversial step taken by Donald Trump throughout his presidency.
A spokesperson for Justin Welby stated he was “concerned about the potential impact” earlier than “a negotiated settlement between Palestinians and Israelis has been reached”.
And essentially the most senior Catholic in England, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, has written to Ms Truss to say he can “see no valid reason why a move needs now to be considered”.
It “would be seriously damaging to any possibility of lasting peace in the region and to the international reputation of the United Kingdom”, the letter from the Archbishop of Westminster reads.
The criticism comes after Ms Truss raised the prospect of shifting the British embassy from Tel Aviv with the Israeli prime minister, Yair Lapid, in New York final month.
The prime minister first floated the concept through the summer time Tory management marketing campaign, in a letter to the Conservative Friends of Israel.
Both the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships contemplate Jerusalem to be their capital metropolis, and most international locations have stored their diplomatic presence in Tel Aviv till a two-state answer might be reached.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have each additionally criticised the relocation, the latter warning towards a “provocation” that dangers inflaming tensions.
Ms Truss has stated she understands the “importance and sensitivity” over the embassy’s location, however proven no signal of backing down.
In an announcement to Jewish News, Mr Welby’s spokesperson stated: “The archbishop is concerned about the potential impact of moving the British embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem before a negotiated settlement between Palestinians and Israelis has been reached.
“He is in touch with Christian leaders in the Holy Land and continues to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”
Cardinal Nichols’ letter to Ms Truss states: “I ask you earnestly to reconsider the intention you have expressed and to focus all efforts on seeking a two-state solution, in which Jerusalem would have a guaranteed special status.
In a Twitter thread, he called for “the international status quo on Jerusalem to be upheld, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions”, including: “The city must be shared as a common patrimony, never becoming an exclusive monopoly of any party.”
Source: www.unbiased.co.uk