The Bishop of Leeds tabled a question on UK efforts to support an immediate ceasefire in Sudan on 18th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking, as penholder on Sudan at the UN Security Council, to support an immediate ceasefire in Sudan to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and regional destabilisation.
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The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 15th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked what steps they are taking to ensure that weapons manufactured in the UK and sold under export licences are not being used to commit or facilitate violations of international human law in Gaza and in contravention of the Arms Trade Treaty ratified by the UK on 2 April 2014.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about use of weapons manufactured in the UK in Israel-Gaza conflict”The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 15th April 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken, together with allies, to persuade those holding Israeli citizens hostage in Gaza to release them without delay.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): The UK Government has been working with partners across the region to secure the release of hostages. The Foreign Secretary met with hostage families on 18 March, reaffirming the UK’s commitment to see the release of all hostages.
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The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on the UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza on 26th March 2024, querying the potential impact of the resolution and whether it would affect countries such as Russia, China & Iran supplying weapons for the conflict:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, given that UN resolutions are not always seen through, as it were, or observed, is the Minister optimistic that this resolution will have the impact we want it to have? What impact will it have on countries like Russia, China and Iran continuing to supply weapons?
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The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 20th March 2024:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what diplomatic steps they are taking (1) to secure an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, and (2) to prevent (a) humanitarian, and (b) regional, ramifications.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about efforts towards a ceasefire in Sudan”The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich gave a speech in response to a motion to take note of the UK’s position on foreign affairs, on the topic of how and why armed force is used, and the difficulties of the ethics of war:
The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich: My Lords, I add my gratitude and appreciation to the noble Lords, Lord Cameron and Lord Ahmad, not just for what they do but for the way in which they do it.
I want to focus on how we continue to apply moral principles surrounding war in this ever-changing landscape. These are dangerous and uncertain times, as we have heard countless times this afternoon, for which we must prepare—and good preparation is itself deterrence. I add my name to the appeal made by the noble Baroness, Lady Goldie, that we see a significant increase in defence funding.
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The Bishop of Leeds asked a question on government efforts to help coordinate Russian anti-war organisations based in the UK, following a government statement on the conflict in Ukraine on 28th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Leeds: My Lords, I am grateful for what the Minister has said. It is understandable that the murder of Alexei Navalny is commanding the headlines, but there are other opposition leaders, a number of whom are in prison and possibly facing the same fate as Navalny.
Continue reading “Bishop of Leeds asks about support for Russian anti-war organisations in the UK”The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answers on 14th February 2024:
The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel to ease its restrictions on the free movement of Palestinian people within the West Bank and from the West Bank to Israel.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con, Foreign Office): We expect Israel to fulfil its obligations as an occupying power, and we are concerned by the restrictions on the free movement of Palestinians in the West Bank. In our engagements with Israel, we have stressed to them the damage the restrictions on movement, access, and trade are doing to the living standards of ordinary Palestinians.
Continue reading “Bishop of Southwark asks about current events in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank”The Archbishop of Canterbury asked a question on what support is being given to Jordan under the pressures of conflict in the West Bank on 13th February 2024, during a session of questions to the foreign secretary on the UK’s future recognition of a Palestinian state:
The Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: My Lords, I welcome very strongly the continued emphasis by the Secretary of State on the two-state solution, and his condemnation of the Hamas terrorist group and his call for the liberation of hostages, as was echoed in a statement this morning from the Bishops. But it is not only in Gaza that we are seeing tragedy; we are seeing it in the West Bank, where it is almost forgotten that very large numbers of Palestinians have been killed by people who live in illegal settlements. One of the countries most affected by that is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. First, what support are His Majesty’s Government giving to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, given its vulnerability and its significant responsibility as guardian of the holy places? If it comes under significant pressure, that would widen the conflict appallingly and dramatically. Secondly, what are the practicalities for Jordan in preparing for or aiding a two-state solution, where the flow of refugees towards it—and it has taken something like half its population in refugees—would be a very threatening process for its destabilisation?
Continue reading “Archbishop of Canterbury asks about support for Jordan during current conflict in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank”The Bishop of Bristol spoke in a debate on the current humanitarian situation in Gaza on 8th February 2024, expressing concern about the rejection of a proposed ceasefire and the impact of total war on civilians:
The Lord Bishop of Bristol: My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness for securing this debate. Today the future seems bleak after Prime Minister Netanyahu, perhaps understandably, rejected a ceasefire because, as reported, total victory may be achieved in months. In my city of Bristol, women from Jewish and Muslim communities stand silently together in public vigil, and those of all faiths and none march each week campaigning for a cessation of violence on all sides.
Total victory within months—what does that mean for the hostages held in tunnels, for the women who are pregnant without medical support, for babies whose mothers have no breast milk? What we see is a horrible inversion of the word of the prophet Joel: the dreams of old men are shattered and the visions of young men are betrayed. The hopes of so many Jews, Muslims and Christians are destroyed. May God and our political leaders have mercy, source aid and work unrelentingly for peace.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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