Church of England backs document branding Israel a ‘racist colonial state’

The Church of England’s General Synod has voted to encourage engagement with "Kairos II," a Palestinian Christian document that labels Israel a "racist colonial state" and accuses it of genocide. The document, formally titled “A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide,” also describes the October 7 Hamas attack as a product of Israeli oppression and calls for boycotts against Israel. Despite warnings from Britain’s Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who called Kairos II "deeply concerning" and full of "falsehood," the motion passed overwhelmingly across all three houses of the Synod. The motion clarifies that it does not adopt the document's allegations as church doctrine but rather encourages churches to "hear" Kairos II as an expression of Palestinian Christian experience. Chief Rabbi Mirvis stated after the vote, "This is a sad day for Jewish-Christian relations."