Next week, two high-profile Palestinian Christians, the theologian Yousef Khoury Academic dean of the Bethlehem Bible College, and sociologist Lamma Mansour, a post-doctoral fellow at the Hebrew University, will speak at churches across Australia under the banner “Bearing Witness: Palestinian Christian Voices. How can Christians Support a Just Peace in the Holy Land?”
The speaking tour is funded by the National Council of churches in Australia and presented by Palestinian Christians in Australia (PCiA), founded to provide a democratic, non-denominational platform, combat the misconception that all Palestinians are of the Muslim faith, and advocate for Palestinian human rights.
The tour announcement has drawn a critical response from Mark Leach, who heads the Never Again is Now group that aims to combat antisemitism. He alleges that the speakers will lie about Israel and stir up anti-semitism.
Leach is particularly critical of the Sydney Anglican church that hosts one leg of the speaking tour.
Yousef Khoury is one of the key theologians and authors behind the updated Kairos Palestine II document, titled A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide, issued in November last year. by the Palestinian Christian Ecumenical Initiative.
Kairos Palestine ll begins with this description: “We raise this cry from the heart of the assault on Gaza — a war that has left behind hundreds of thousands of martyrs and wounded, and nearly two million displaced people. Many were buried beneath the rubble, burned alive, tortured to death in prisons or forcibly displaced more than once. Others endured starvation, targeted even as they ran in search of food. Tens of thousands of children were killed in the most horrific ways. Gaza’s health, education, economic, and environmental sectors — indeed, every component of life — have been destroyed. It will take years to recover from the devastation and catastrophe that have befallen us as a people.
“Human rights organisations, legal institutions, and international experts, have been unequivocal:
the statements of Israeli political leaders and Israel’s actions in its assault on Gaza constitute
genocide. Many of the war crimes and crimes against humanity have been documented and arrest
warrants have been issued against Israeli political leaders based upon rulings of the International Court of Justice.
“They do not want us to remain on our land but are destined for displacement, death, or submission.”
Including Kairos Palestine II, with its use of the term “genocide,” in a list of documents referenced in a motion about Palestine led to a contentious debate at this month’s Church of England General Synod (church parliament). The ideas and feelings expressed in England are likely to be replicated here, so they are worth reporting.
Sarah Mullally, the Archbishop ofCanterbury as reported in the Church Times said of Kairos ll “This document reflects the pain and trauma of the Palestinian people.” She said that “as a pastor,” she heard the cry of the Palestinians. The Church must have difficult conversations, she said, “and take the risk of engaging across divides”. She thanked the Chief Rabbi and Board of Deputies for their honesty and referred to “the abhorrent rise in anti-Semitism” in this country.
“To hear the heartfelt expression of the lived experiences of the Palestinian Christians does not mean we agree with everything in these documents, but it does mean that we listen with compassion and in solidarity with them amidst the many injustices they face,” she said.
“I am a pastor, not a politician. When I say the Palestinian people deserve their freedom, that is not a political statement, but a moral and spiritual one.”
The Chief Rabbi responded to the CofE debate said that Kairos II presented “a one-sided account of a complex conflict, downplays the historical experiences and legitimate concerns of Jewish people, and offers little more than political activism dressed up as theology”.
Leading CofE evangelical Ian Paul strongly criticised Kairos ll as the debate began: “But the most contentious element of all is the invitation to ‘receive’ the Kairos II Palestine document. I do hope you will read it for yourself [he linked to Kairos in the Synod papers, but here is a direct link: A Moment of Truth: Faith in a Time of Genocide]
“The whole document is framed in terms of the ‘genocide’ that is happening in Gaza. To realise how calculating this term is in its offence to Jews, we need to remember that the word itself was coined to describe the unprecedented slaughter of Jews in Europe, when 6 million out of 9 million Jews were gassed and shot. In a period since then, when the global population has multiplied fourfold, the global Jewish population has still not returned to what it was before the Holocaust. That is genocide.
“When up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed in 1915–16, that is genocide.
“What is happening in the war in Gaza is appalling, and might well be judged to be unjustified and disproportionate. But the deaths of 70,000 people out of a population of 2.1 million is not ‘genocide’.”
The General Synod motion to “stand in solidarity” with Palestinians was amended, changing a proposed call to “receive” the Kairos Palestine declarations – statements produced by Palestinian Christians – to a call to “hear” them as “heartfelt expressions” of their experiences.
Tour dates:
• Parramatta Community Uniting Church (Sydney): Tuesday 28 July 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM $20 per ticket.
Register Here https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1598537
• Stanhope Gardens Anglican Church (Sydney): Wednesday 29 July 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM $20 per ticket
Register Here https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1598538
• Australian Centre for Christianity & Culture (Canberra): Friday 31 July 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM $20 per ticket.
Register Here https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1598539
Yousef & Yousef in Conversation Fitzroy North Community Church, 75 Reid Street, Fitzroy North VIC 3068 Saturday 1 August | 5:15 PM – 7:00 PM $20 per ticket
• Collins Street Baptist Church, Melbourne: Sunday 2 August 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Free
Register Here https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1598542
• Ashburton Baptist Church (Melbourne): Sunday 2 August 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM Free
Register Here https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1598544 Will also be Online Bearing Witness: Palestinian Christians (Ashburton) ONLINE | TryBooking Australia
• Wollaston Theological College (Perth): Monday 3 August 2026, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM $20 per ticket.
Register Here https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1598536
• Brisbane Church (location TBA): Tuesday 28 July 2026, 6:15 PM – 9:00 PM – Register Here https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1601084
An additional meeting in Canberra with Bishop Stephen Pickard in conversation with Yousef Khoury
Thursday 30 July 2026, 6:00 pm 8:00 pm Manning Clarke House
https://www.trybooking.com/DNPII
Image: Gaza Damage October 2023, Image Credit: Wafa Photo by Naaman Omar
Thx for the balanced report John, not an easy thing to do.