In his Easter message a Welsh Christian leader says that the present conflict in Jesus’ homeland derives from the time of Welshman David Lloyd George, the prime minister who played a leading part in the process of establishing the Jewish state.
The Revd Jeff Williams, President of the Union of Welsh Independent Churches, added that it would take an Easter-type miracle to resolve the current enmity between the Palestinian and Israeli nations.
‘As we look on in horror at events this Easter in Gaza, a region I’ve twice visited in the past, we should remember the lesson of history and the Welsh connection. A century ago David Lloyd George played a leading role in securing a Jewish ‘national home’ in British-ruled Palestine, with scant regard for the Palestinians who lived there.
‘In the years that followed, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were driven from their homes to become refugees in Gaza and the West Bank. In light of the current conflict in particular, it would take a miracle to resolve this long enmity.
‘But Easter reminds us that miracles can happen. The Empty Tomb is an eternal sign of the divine love that can overcome conflict and death, heartbreak and despair, in our personal lives and in the world. We pray for that miracle this Easter.’
(The Union of Welsh Independent Churches represents nonconformist Christians who meet in about 350 chapel across Wales)
