Mick Hartley

From the Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, in what the Times calls a “blistering attack“:

‘The vote of the synod of the Church of England to ‘heed’ a call to divestment from certain companies associated with Israel was ill-judged even on its own terms. The immediate result will be to reduce the Church’s ability to act as a force for peace between Israel and the Palestinians for as long as the decision remains in force. The timing could not have been more inappropriate. Israel . . . needs support, not vilification.

And here (via Melanie Phillips) is an excellent editorial from an organ I link to for the first, and very possibly the last, time – The Church of England News:

No wonder many in the UK and Europe were distinctly queasy at this foray into international politics by the members of General Synod. Is this assembly really equipped to make judgements on such very complex problems? The motion would be better placed in a university or school debating chamber rather than a Church. What has emerged looks one-sided and simplistic, possibly hindering Israeli efforts to make a stable peace. Again, Synod has lived up to a reputation for shadowing the Guardian newspaper in its political orientation and preferred topics of condemnation. Has Synod pronounced on Zimbabwe, genocide in the Sudan, persecution and oppression in China and the Middle East? Indeed Anglican dignitaries rushed to the letters columns after the murderous attack on the ‘twin-towers’ on ‘9/11’ to exculpate the bombers by seeking the reasons for their hatred of the West. No great rush by our new-found experts on global politics to express exculpatory reasons for Israeli bulldozing is evident. If Synod wants to become a sort of amateur United Nations body, it might investigate the misuse of cash poured into the Palestinian Authority, maintaining abject poverty for many.

So, more apologies from Archbishop Rowan – which is admittedly what he does best.