War in Gaza ‘needs to finish now’, says Archbishop

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has called for an end to the war in Gaza after meeting with a Palestinian priest. 

The Archbishop met Rev Fadi Diab of St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Ramallah, Palestine, on Friday. 

Welby called the war “cruel and horrific” and said that the arming of settlers in illegal settlements within the West Bank had “intensified violence and contributed to a level of death and destruction not seen because the Second Intifada.”

During their meeting, the Archbishop heard how the war has “upended life within the West Bank and East Jerusalem and created untold misery and suffering to hundreds of families”.

“Countless” families have been pushed into poverty by roadblocks and the suspension of labor permits, while the withholding of tax receipts to the Palestinian Authority has “pushed basic services and important infrastructure to the sting of collapse”, the Archbishop said. 

Welby called for a right away end to the war and the discharge of all remaining Israeli hostages.

“This war and its killing needs to finish and it needs to finish now. All hostages must be released. Immediate and unrestricted aid have to be secured to deal with the famine-like conditions in Gaza,” he said.

“I give because of the ministry of Father Fadi Diab at this critical time, and I pray that God will guide and watch over him, the broader Diocese of Jerusalem, and all Christian churches as they supply comfort and support to those most in need.”