CHURCH leaders, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Williams, Christians in the Middle East, and diplomats have condemned as unjust and potentially illegal the war spreading in the region, after the strikes on Iran by the United States and Israel.
As the death toll rose across the region after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the weekend, the Archbishop in Jerusalem, Dr Hosam Naoum, warned of a “cycle of violence” that was expanding “with terrifying speed”.
By Wednesday, 1097 civilians had been killed in Iran since Saturday, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said. Hundreds more reported deaths were being reviewed.
Lord Williams told the Church Times that the current military action “poses serious threats to any secure short-term future in the region”.
The Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, who was born in Iran and had to flee the country after the 1979 revolution, has this week questioned whether the US-Israel led war was legal under international law. “While there will be some renewed hope for change, it is not at all clear where military intervention from the US and Israel will ultimately lead.”
In a pastoral letter, Dr Naoum had written: “Tragically, the cycle of violence has expanded with terrifying speed.”
Lord Williams said: “Apart from the obvious issue that any pretence at ‘just war’ requires a clear and immediate need for self-defence and, just as importantly, a clear definition of what would count as a successful outcome, the current military action poses serious threats to any secure short-term future in the region.
“But it is also crucial to remember that the real urgency in Iran is for a new political order that responds to what Iranian people are actually hoping for themselves — not some kind of covert annexation designed to serve geopolitical manoeuvring, not a puppet government, not a military protectorate. Where is the work being done to make this more imaginable? There are substantial Iranian groups, inside and outside the country, looking towards a democratic future. Their voices need to be listened to.”
Xavier Abu Eid, a former adviser to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and a Christian based in the de facto Palestinian capital, Ramallah, in the Occupied West Bank, told the Church Times: “This attack is not just illegal but goes against the general consensus in the region. All countries, with the exception of Israel, were against a military intervention. . . Israel and the US are erasing international law and the prospects of a multilateral rules based international order.”
The Pope, reiterating his opposition to the war on Tuesday, said: “Find solutions, without weapons, to resolve problems.”
A former British ambassador with experience of the region told the Church Times: “The situation could easily escalate quite quickly, and there appears to be no strategy on the part of those who started the attacks, beyond aerial bombardment. Lessons from Vietnam and Iraq are clear, and, once a conflict is started, it can acquire its own dynamic and spread to the whole region.”
The comments came as President Trump, who has vowed to continue the conflict “until all our objectives are achieved”, opened a rift with Sir Keir Starmer, who, Mr Trump said, was “not Winston Churchill”, after the Prime Minister declined to allow the US to use UK bases to strike Iran.
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, sparked outrage after saying that the US had to strike Iran because “we knew that there was going to be an Israeli action”.
The Archbishop of Canterbury called for prayers “for God’s mercy and protection for all the people of the Middle East” and said: “Anglican churches are caught up in this conflict in countries across the region. . . May God protect the innocent from this violence and destruction, and may all parties uphold international law and return to negotiations.”
Christian Aid’s Head of Middle East Policy and Advocacy, William Bell, said: “The UK Government must work urgently to bring this war to an immediate end before mounting humanitarian suffering across the region escalates into a global crisis with no clear end in sight.
“With most of Gaza’s borders closed, families are in real danger of running out of food. The widespread displacement across Lebanon means our partners are rapidly assessing how best to support communities, while in the West Bank settler violence against Palestinians continues.
“As ever, it is innocent civilians who are paying the price for decades of impunity and international political failure in the Middle East. In these dangerous times for the entire world, the UK Government must demonstrate leadership and moral courage.”
Eleanor Monbiot, the regional leader for World Vision Middle East and Eastern Europe, said: “We are deeply concerned about this escalation of violence in the Middle East, which is putting the lives of millions of children and families across the region at grave risk. We call for peace and urge all parties to the conflict to de-escalate.”
