The Archbishop of Canterbury will make a high-level 12 day visit to the Holy Land in May, Lambeth Palace confirmed today.
In one of his longest trips as Archbishop, Justin Welby will take in Jordan and Bethlehem as well as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Galilee, and focus on the themes of reconciliation, Christian unity and the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.
The Archbishop's visit will be largely aimed at affirming the presence of Christian communities in the Holy Land. But as ever in the region, there will be a political dimension: Archbishop Welby is likely to meet with the Israeli and Palestinian Presidents, Reuven Rivlin and Mahmoud Abbas respectively as well as other leaders, including King Abdullah II of Jordan in Amman. A meeting is being sought with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The trip comes exactly 50 years after the Six Day War which resulted in the Occupation of Palestinian territories and 100 years after the Balfour Declaration which established a Jewish state on Palestinian land.
Archbishop Welby will spend several days in Jerusalem where he will stay at the Anglican St. George's Cathedral at the invitation of the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Suheil Dawani. Archbishop Welby will preside over a Communion service and be installed as an Episcopal Canon at the Cathedral.
He will visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other Christian sites as well as the Western Wall and, possibly, the Temple Mount in the divided city.
In Bethlehem, where Archbishop Welby is expected to stay overnight, he will meet with the Christian mayor of the town, Vera Baboun. Mayor Baboun will brief the Archbishop on the situation in Bethlehem including the surrounding Israeli settlements and security wall or 'separation barrier'. She and other Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem are likely to emphasise the increasing numbers of Christians who are leaving the town of Jesus's birthplace, where only around 15 per cent of the population today is Christian.
Archbishop Welby will pass through the controversial separation barrier as he enters and exits Bethlehem by road. He will also symbolically enter Israel via the West Bank by crossing the Allenby Bridge over the Jordan River from Jordan, where he will begin his trip.
In Tel Aviv, the Archbishop will meet with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel as well as taking part in other inter-faith events in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
He will also deliver a set-piece speech on the theme of reconciliation at the Peres Centre for Peace in Tel Aviv, named after the late Israeli President Shimon Peres.
In the north of Israel, Archbishop Welby will visit Galilee and Nazareth as well as Haifa and Acre, where there is a growing Christian community.
Following Foreign Office advice, Archbishop Welby will not speak to Hamas or visit any Israeli settlements deemed illegal under international law. He will also not enter Gaza.
The Archbishop's trip comes amid a dormant period for the so-called peace process in the Middle East and the announcement of his trip comes as there is speculation in the region over whether US President Donald Trump will move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move that would infuriate Palestinians.
