Is UK recognition of a Palestinian State more than a symbolic gesture? by Revd David Hardman, Methodist Liaison Officer, Jerusalem On 29 July 2025, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced that the UK would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September—unless Israel …
Gaza, West Bank, Israel
Prayer for Peace
Prayer for Peace in Gaza, in the West Bank and in Israel In the days of the prophet Habakkuk, God spoke of stones crying out against oppression and violence. Centuries later, as Jesus entered Jerusalem, he told the Pharisees that if his followers were silent, the very stones would shout aloud in …
Gaza – Calls for Change
The Church of Scotland, United Reformed Church, Methodist Church and Baptist Union have each called for change in light of the worsening treatment of people in Gaza. Each of the statements note our duty to speak out, witnesses to the blocking of food and vital supplies entering Gaza, and calls on …
Singing into a perfect storm
As leader of the Joint Public Issues Team, Rachel Lampard calls the Church to a new song of opposition against increased antisemitism. Friends of mine, who I didn’t even realise were Jewish, told me last year how worried they were about the antisemitism being stirred up in politics. Then an …
The starless midnight of Gaza – praying for peace
On the 15th day of every month Methodists around Britain and Ireland pray with Christians in the Middle East. Today I held my Methodist prayer handbook alongside my newsfeed, and I almost wept. Two weeks ago I was in Israel and Palestine, and as I prayed I pictured the people I met. With the …
A time for Palestine?
In the House of Commons today, MPs are debating Israel and Palestine. In 2014, MPs voted for the UK Government to recognise Palestine; a move that the UK Government says it will only make in “the right time”. Has that time now come? The prospect of a two-state solution is disappearing rapidly as …