From earliest days the Christian Church has used. the name “Israel” in its worship. accepting the Jewish scriptures as its Old Testament, and identifying itself as God’s People Israel. The book of Psalms, Israel’s prayer book is used extensively in Christian worship, in both Catholic and Protestant forms. In my own Church of Scotland, the name Israel appears often in what we sing.

THIS MUST NOW STOP.

Israel has become the name of a junta of killers, a designation of death for innocent children, women and men in Gaza and the West Bank.

THIS NAME MUST NOT BE USED IN THE HOLY PLACE OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

This will be a deprivation but necessary as the nation Israel does not exist at present, and should not be treated as such by the Church.

It may well be the case that it should cease to be recognised as a nation by the international community, so that a NO ISRAEL policy becomes political as well as ecclesial.

THIS IS NOT ANTI SEMITIC. I am without prejudice towards all semites, including Jews. It is a theological judgement on Israel as the name of a nation.