Archbishop of Canterbury: Israel is NOT an apartheid state

Justin Welby made comments during a talk at St. Martin- in- the-Fields church in Trafalgar Square

By Michelle Rosenberg 8 September 2023, 9:44 am

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, praying together.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has emphatically insisted Israel is ‘not an apartheid state’ in comments at a public event this week.

As part of a lecture series at St-Martin-in-the-Fields church in central London, Justin Welby featured alongside Su McClellan from Christian charity ‘Embrace the Middle East’ and Daniel Munayer, the dual British and Palestinian Israeli executive director of faith-based charity Musalaha.

In remarks reported by Gabriella Swerling, social and religious affairs editor at The Telegraph, he said Israel’s constitution was unlike the former regime in South Africa, which was built on a system of apartheid that institutionalised racial segregation.

The Archbishop made clear the distinction, adding that Israel was a country in “turmoil”.

“If remains a risk if the constitution changes to an apartheid constitution, then it obviously would become an apartheid state. But until that happens, I won’t use that word about Israel.”