Chief Rabbi's advocacy for Palestinian bishop

The Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks helped the Archbishop of Canterbury to overturn the Israeli Government’s refusal of a residency permit to the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem.

Bishop Suheil Dawani’s permit to work in the land of his birth was granted this week, following a year-long campaign orchestrated from Lambeth Palace.

But the role of Britain’s Chief Rabbi, spiritual overseer of UK’s 300,000 Jews, was not known until today.

Lambeth Palace have confirmed that ‘both the Chief Rabbi here and the Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem were actively supportive in this campaign’.

The bishop’s plight drew worldwide media attention to the fact that Christianity in East Jerusalem, where the faith’s founder was crucified, is there on sufferance.

The Anglican church in the Middle East pre-dates the state of Israel by about a hundred years – but found itself caught up in the nightmare of what Israel calls ‘contested territory’ in September last year.

The Diocese of Jerusalem, whose founding dates from 1841 with the installation of the first bishop, a converted rabbi called Michael Solomon Alexander, now straddles five nations - . the West Bank, Gaza, Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

The cathedral of St George’s, built in 1898, is in East Jerusalem (the West Bank), which the Israelis settled - illegally according to the UN – following the Six Day War 1967.

Bishop Suheil comes from Nablus, in northern West Bank, and can only use his office on an annual permit.

The Ministry of the Interior granted permits for him, his wife and daughter for three successive years previously, in 2007, 2008 and 2009, but suddenly and humiliatingly revoked them exactly a year ago on September 24, 2010, without evidence for its refusal.

In March this year, after unsuccessfully using Anglican and diplomatic channels, the Bishop took the risky step of suing the Government. 

He is a native of the Holy Land and has spent most of his life and ministry there, but cannot obtain either citizenship or legal residence in Israel, since he was born in Nablus, i.e. in the West Bank, which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967, but has not been annexed to Israel.

East Jerusalem, on the other hand, where the Anglican St George’s Cathedral and Diocesan offices are situated, was also occupied at the same time, but Israel annexed it and considers it part of its national territory (although no other country in the world recognizes this annexation).

Bishop Dawani is therefore considered by Israel to be a foreigner who can only visit – let alone live in – East Jerusalem with a special permit, which the Israeli authorities can either grant or deny at their sole discretion.

The Palestine solidarity blogger Arieh Cohen reported that ‘even the original Palestinian inhabitants of East Jerusalem, and their descendants, are considered by Israel to be foreigners who are no more than possessors of a residence permit, which Israel can revoke.’

Accusations against the Bishop were mysterious.  He received a letter, in Hebrew, which included the following: ‘Bishop Suheil acted with the Palestinian Authority in transferring lands owned by Jewish people to the Palestinians and also helped to register lands of Jewish people in the name of the Church.’  There were further allegations that documents were forged by the Bishop. The letter also stated that Bishop Dawani and his family should leave the country immediately.

Bishop Dawani replied to the Israeli Minister of the Interior denying all accusations and requested the restoration of the residency permits for himself and his family to provide for his ongoing leadership of his Diocese.

He received no response from the office of the Minister of the Interior – until this week.

In a statement issued Tuesday, he thanked the Anglican Communion for its help. 

‘I have been overwhelmed by the support given to me from His Grace the Arch Bishop of Canterbury, the Honourable Lord Rowan Williams, and all the Primates, Arch Bishops and Bishops of the Anglican Communion; and the Greek and Latin Patriarchs of Jerusalem.  Also our Partners throughout the world including the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and the United Kingdom; and the worldwide community including Washington, D.C.; the State Department of the United States and the American Consul-General in Jerusalem, and the office of the British Foreign Secretary.’ 

He had earlier revealed that the Archbishop of Canterbury had been in contact with the office of the Prime Minister of Israel and Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amer to try and resolve the issue.

The Chief Rabbi of Britain, Lord Sacks, who once told the BBC’s John Humphreys that Christianity was ‘a tragic mistake’, appeared to underpin his advocacy for Anglican legitimacy with the Israeli authorities in a speech on multiculturalism in the House of Lords on 12 September:

‘... I have a simple proposal. I believe that all Britain's faith communities should be invited to make a voluntary covenant with Britain articulating our responsibilities to others and to the nation as a whole, so that we can be true to our faith while being a blessing to others regardless of theirs.’

Ironically, UK Christian charities are among the principle donors to hospitals in the occupied Palestinian territories. 

The al-Ahli hospital in Gaza and St Luke’s hospital in Nablus are directed by Arab Christians and offer their services to all in need; they are funded directly by the Diocese of Jerusalem, with support from the Anglican Communion and charities, including the UK charity BibleLands. 

BibleLands Vice-Chairman Brian Jolly said:  ‘We always want to work very closely with our partners in the Middle East and we are very supportive of Bishop Suheil and his diocese in their ministry to vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the Middle East.

‘We are aware from our work that the compassionate ministry they undertake is of a value that cannot be expressed.  It is a ministry provided without reference to religion. Their services are used largely by Muslims because Christians are so few in number and Jews have separate facilities.’

Observers talk of a ‘judaization’ of East Jerusalem since 1967 where only half of one per cent of the population are now Christian.