Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Laura Kyrke-Smith and Marsha De Cordova

Thursday 18th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Laura Kyrke-Smith (Aylesbury) (Lab)]

7. What steps the Church of England is taking to support Christians in Palestine.

[The Second Church Estates Commissioner (Marsha De Cordova)]

The Church remains steadfast in its support for Palestinians. The relentless attacks on the Christian population in Palestine and the wider region by the Israeli Government are abhorrent. We have also seen Christian communities in Lebanon cut off, with Palestinian refugees being the main target there. We have seen settlement expansion again in the west bank, too, which we know is in breach of international law. The bishops in the other place have publicly highlighted their concerns by condemning the violence, and they have joined His Holiness the Pope and the local heads of Churches, who have called for the protection of all innocent civilians.

[Laura Kyrke-Smith]

One of my constituents has written to me about Natalie Abu Dayyeh, a young Christian girl from Birzeit in the west bank who was seized at gunpoint by Israeli forces earlier this month. Her family do not know where she is being held—they do not even know whether she is alive and being treated well. This is a repeated pattern of behaviour: Layan Nasir, another Palestinian Christian, was treated in the same way last year. I have written to the relevant Minister at the Foreign Office, but can I also ask what representations the Church has made to advocate for Natalie’s release and for the protection of other Palestinian Christians facing detention?