A Shepherd and the Settlers: Archbishop Forced from West Bank Village
In a scene that laid bare the tense realities of the West Bank, the Archbishop of York was ordered to leave the Palestinian village of Susya by Israeli police, but only after his delegation was first blockaded on a road by armed settlers. The standoff occurred during a pastoral visit focused on meeting families like one in Umm al-Khair, whose homes face demolition. The situation escalated when the Archbishop’s group found their path blocked by heavily armed settlers, described by Rev Canon Richard Sewell, dean of St George’s College, as “quasi-military vigilantes tolerated by the police.” It was only after this tense impasse that Israeli police intervened—not to clear the roadblock, but to order the religious delegation itself to depart.
The visit was intended to witness firsthand the struggles of Palestinians, and the Archbishop was confronted with harrowing accounts. He met a mother who baked bread with one hand, her other injured in a prior settler attack, and her husband who had sustained a head injury. The shadow of recent violence loomed large; the community is still reeling from the July killing of resident Awdah Hathaleen, who was shot during a settler raid while holding his infant son. While the Church of England stated the visit was meant to promote peace and justice, its abrupt end underscored the profound challenges: a man arrested for Hathaleen’s killing was later released on grounds of self-defense, and local families pleaded with the Archbishop for international intervention, highlighting the stark disparities they face in their search for protection and justice.
