Church of Ireland archbishops call for decisive action on Gaza
The following statement on the current situation in Gaza has been issued by Archbishop John McDowell and Archbishop Michael Jackson:
It is with outrage that we watch the desperation, dislocation, and defenceless resident population of Gaza who feel they have been abandoned by the world.
The international community must grasp reality and respond as never before. They can no longer stand by and watch the cruel starvation of innocent people, particularly the most vulnerable – children, older people and the ill – as well as the ongoing physical destruction of their lives and surroundings.
Amid the daily horror, the beacons of hope are the hospitals and the continuation of medical care, however rudimentary. This continues to point to the spirit of service at the heart of humanity.
In recent days we have seen another glimmer of hope from the resilient staff of Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City which is owned and run by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem. The hospital was bombed on Palm Sunday and has reopened, as its courageous staff pledged in the days after the attack. They are operating in a tent which was erected in place of their destroyed building and are treating the injured and sick as best they can, in what is by anyone’s reckoning a living wasteland, with whatever resources they have.
We pledge our continuing support for the work of Al Ahli and support the Diocese of Jerusalem as it seeks to find a way forward for the hospital.
We repeat our call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the influx of every kind of appropriate aid to alleviate starvation, injury and lack of shelter.
We acknowledge that many feel hopeless and powerless to change what is happening in Gaza. We pray that all those in positions of power globally will stand up and demand an end to this cruelty and seek the reinstitution of international law.
When Jesus speaks of parents offering their children bread and fish, he concludes as follows: “Always treat others as you would like them to treat you …” (St Matthew 7.12). In that spirit, now is the moment for decisive action.