Kategorie: Heiliges Land

Historischer Beschluß der Synode der Church of England

13. Juli 2026: Anglikanische Kirche „votes to ‘hear’ document that speaks of ‘genocidal war on Gaza’

Bericht Church Times

Bericht Independent Catholic News

„Despite all the pressure and intense lobbying before the debate, the motion passed with an overwhelming majority in all three houses, with 25 Bishops voting in favour, none against, and five abstaining.“

The final motion read:

That this Synod respond to the call of Palestinian Christians to stand in solidarity with them and their fellow Palestinians in non-violent resistance to the ongoing occupation. We lament the loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives and the violations of human dignity and rights on both sides, as well as the displacement of population. We commit to a better understanding of the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, seeking peace and security for all the peoples of those lands and pursuing that which leads to the establishment of a just and lasting peace.

In particular, we:

a) reject antisemitism, anti-Muslim hostility and all forms of prejudice based on religious affiliation and ethnicity;

b) acknowledge with repentance the Church’s historic contribution to antisemitism and to the situation now affecting the Palestinian people, reaffirm our commitment to inter-faith dialogue, including Christian-Jewish dialogue and encourage a deeper understanding of Judaism and other faiths;

c) pray for all victims of the current conflicts in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory and for a lasting peace;

d) hear the Kairos Palestine Declaration (2009), the Cry for Hope (2020), the Call for Repentance (2023) and Kairos Palestine II (2025) as heartfelt expressions of the lived experience of Palestinian Christians and:

i. encourage the Church of England at all levels to engage with those documents as part of a quest for greater understanding of the situation;

ii. ask the Faith and Public Life Division to commend resources that enable Dioceses and local churches to promote a full understanding of the situation and to respond through prayer, theological study, advocacy and practical support for the work undertaken by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and other Churches in the service of the people of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory;

e) encourage the Church of England at all levels to engage with those documents as part of a quest for greater understanding of the situation, alongside continued dialogue with Jewish and Muslim voices in the pursuit of justice, equality, peace and reconciliation;

f) call on Church investors to implement and demonstrate a leading approach to responsible investment relating to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and:

i. to review their investment policies in the light of the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 on the illegality of the occupation of Palestinian territory;

ii. to request the Church Commissioners and Church of England Pensions Board to report back, on a triennium basis, on the progress and success of their approaches;

iii. the bodies named above to support the EIAG to develop guidance for wider Church of England investors on how to manage human rights risks relating to occupied territories and conflict.

g) ask His Majesty’s Government to work urgently for a lasting peace in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, that will ensure safety and security for all parties and the upholding of the rights and inherent dignity of all people.’

Restoring Access to Safe Water

Caritas Jerusalem: For Displaced Families in Gaza

June 30, 2026

Crisis Appeal for Health, Emergency Support, and Survival Essentials in Gaza

As part of its Emergency Appeal: Crisis Appeal for Health, Emergency Support, and Survival Essentials in Gaza, Caritas Jerusalem continues to respond to one of the most urgent humanitarian needs facing displaced communities: access to safe drinking water.

Across Gaza, the ongoing crisis has severely damaged water infrastructure, leaving countless families without reliable access to clean water. Today, 91% of households experience water insecurity, while many people survive on less than six liters of water per person per day—far below the minimum amount required to meet basic daily needs. The lack of safe water, combined with overcrowded living conditions, damaged sanitation systems, and limited healthcare services, has significantly increased the risk of disease and has further worsened an already devastating humanitarian situation.

To help address this critical need, Caritas Jerusalem has launched a water trucking intervention, delivering potable drinking water directly to shelters, displacement camps, and communities where access to safe water has been cut off. The intervention is implemented in close coordination with local authorities and community representatives to ensure that the most vulnerable families are reached safely and equitably.

One of the communities currently benefiting from this intervention is the Al-Abraj area, where residents have endured prolonged shortages of clean drinking water.

„We have been suffering from a shortage of clean water in this area,“ says Yehia Abdo, Regional Director for Al-Abraj. „Caritas Jerusalem has now provided us with clean water, and we are grateful for your kind efforts. This is the best-quality water we have received in a long time. We truly appreciate your support.“

He explains that the community’s access to water became increasingly difficult after routes were cut off, forcing residents to travel long distances in search of safe drinking water. „This camp has an urgent need for water due to the long distances people must travel after access routes were cut off. We issued an emergency appeal, and Caritas Jerusalem responded. The water quality is excellent. Thank you, Caritas Jerusalem.“

For families living through prolonged displacement, access to clean water is more than a basic necessity—it is essential for survival, health, and dignity.

Beyond water trucking, the intervention also includes the distribution of emergency WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) kits containing essential hygiene and dignity items, helping families maintain basic hygiene standards despite the challenging conditions. Together, these interventions aim to reduce the spread of waterborne diseases, protect public health, and preserve the dignity of vulnerable households.

Through its Emergency Appeal, Caritas Jerusalem remains committed to standing alongside the people of Gaza, delivering life-saving assistance where it is needed most and ensuring that families continue to have access to one of life’s most fundamental necessities: safe, clean drinking water.

Greater Jerusalem: Expulsion and Annexation

Ein Bericht von Ir Amim zum Download

Download Full Report // Download Executive Summary

Over the past three years, Israel has dramatically reshaped the West Bank area around Jerusalem, often referred to in Israeli political discourse as “Greater Jerusalem.” Through accelerated settlement expansion, the establishment of outposts and related infrastructure, and escalating state and settler violence against Palestinian communities, annexation of this area is advancing at full force.

While annexation has largely been understood as the deepening of Israeli control over the space, application of Israeli sovereignty, and the obstruction of a future Palestinian state, Ir Amim’s new report underscores how the forcible transfer of Palestinian communities is central to the annexation paradigm. Expulsion and displacement are not side effects of annexation, but rather inextricable components of it.

These developments are part of a broader Israeli government agenda across the West Bank: expanding Israeli territorial contiguity while pushing Palestinians into disconnected enclaves within an increasingly fragmented Palestinian space. This strategy is unfolding throughout the West Bank, but it is especially visible around Jerusalem.

The report details the cumulative system of pressure being used to make life unsustainable for Palestinian communities, including land confiscation, settlement and outpost expansion, demolition orders and denial of building permits, military closure orders, new permit regimes, settler and military violence, severe restrictions on movement, and the closure of entire areas to Palestinian access.

Aus der lateinischen Pfarrei in Gaza

Administrativhaft bekommt auf einmal Gesicht…

Für Palästinenserinnen und Palästinenser ein Teil ihrer alltäglichen Lebenswirklichkeit: willkürliche „Verhaftung“ (ein schräger Begriff, weil es ja keinen richterlichen Haftbefehl gibt) …

Auf der Facebook-Seite der EKD: (korrekt Natalie Abu Dayyeh) (…sie ist nicht die einzige aus den Reihen der Evangelischen Kirche, die sich geäußert hat…)

Religion und Frieden

Ein lesenswerter Beitrag in der Times of Israel über die Arbeit von Rabbi Michael Melchior (72)

Schulbesuch in Al Khadr

Januar 2026: Früh morgens machen wir uns auf den Weg nach Al Khadr. Unsere Aufgabe dort als ökumenische Begleiter:innen: Den Schulweg beobachten und Vorfälle dokumentieren. Denn in Al Khadr nahe Bethlehem gibt es mehrere Schulen, an denen es immer wieder zu Vorfällen mit der israelischen Armee kommt, von einschüchternder Präsenz schwerbewaffneter Soldat:innen bis zum Einsatz von Tränengas und der Verhaftung von Minderjährigen.

Weiterlesen …

Guarding the Sanctity of Life

Monday 18th May 2026 – Interfaith March for Human Rights and Peace in Jerusalem, organised by the Interfaith Forum for Human Rights – All are welcome – at least in spirit – The march is designed as a counterpoint to Jerusalem Flag Day (14/5/26), as a stand for a unified peace with justice.

Pizzaballa: They returned to Jerusalem with great joy

A Pastoral Letter by H.B. Pierbattista Card. Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem 
A proposal for living the vocation of the Church in the Holy Land 

People’s Peace Summit

Tel Aviv 30. APril 2026 (- wenigstens in Gedanken dabei sein …)