The Archbishop of Canterbury has vowed to help Palestinians gain the “freedom they deserve” during a significant visit to the West Bank.
Dame Sarah Mullally delivered a sermon on Sunday at St Peter’s Church in Birzeit, becoming the first Archbishop of Canterbury to visit the town.
Addressing the congregation, she said: “I will not forget what I have seen and heard. I couldn’t forget it even if I tried. I will carry these encounters with me when I return home.
“I will use my role as Archbishop to pursue the peace you long for and the freedom you deserve.”
The 64-year-old began her five-day pilgrimage through the Holy Land on Saturday.
She said: “I recognise that I have freedoms many of you do not — the ability to cross borders and checkpoints, spend time in neighbouring communities, and travel to Jerusalem.
“I feel deeply humbled to be here with you in prayer and fellowship.”
Dame Sarah added: “I understand the hardships faced by you and your families, and the challenges of following Jesus in this land — the home of our Saviour, and your home.”
Other senior clergy have also visited the Holy Land in recent months, with some returning and accusing Israel of carrying out a “genocide.”
Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, claimed in December that Israeli forces “intimidated” him during his own visit to the region.
In his Christmas Day sermon at York Minster, he said he was blocked from visiting Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank after being stopped at checkpoints.
Before that visit, he had accused Israel of committing “genocidal acts” in Palestinian territories.
Hosam Naoum also addressed the General Synod last July.
There, he compared Gaza’s food distribution system to The Hunger Games, the fictional series where participants fight to be the last survivor in an arena.
Dame Sarah has also spoken strongly against antisemitism in Britain.
In her inaugural address, she said the Church “stands with the Jewish community against antisemitism in all its forms” following the Yom Kippur terror attack in Manchester last October.
She later met Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street in May to discuss social cohesion and interfaith relations.
Her current pilgrimage includes visits to Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Birzeit, as well as healthcare projects and a school run by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem.
She is also expected to meet several patriarchs and church leaders during the trip.
On her first day, she held a video call with Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, which is operated by the Diocese of Jerusalem.
In 2023, hundreds were killed in an explosion in the hospital’s courtyard, which Western intelligence sources suggested was caused by a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
