Archbishop of York says he was 'intimidated' by Israeli 'militias' in West Bank

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell recounted his experience on a recent visit to the Occupied West Bank during his Christmas Day Sermon.

The New Arab Staff
26 December, 2025


Rev Stephen Cottrell has previously described the situation in the occupied West Bank as 'apartheid' [Getty]


The Archbishop of York said he was "intimidated" by Israeli militias during a visit to the Occupied West Bank earlier this year, in a Christmas Day sermon that highlighted the stark reality of the Israeli occupation.

The Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, who is the second most senior clergyman in the Church of England, gave the sermon at the York Minster on Thursday.

"We were stopped at various checkpoints and intimidated by Israeli militias who told us that we couldn’t visit Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank," Cottrell said.

“We have become — and really, I can think of no other way of putting it — we have become fearful of each other, and especially fearful of strangers, or just people who aren’t quite like us.

“We don’t seem to be able to see ourselves in them, and therefore we spurn our common humanity,” he added.


Recounting a visit to the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Bethlehem, the archbishop described a nativity carving gifted to him, which included a "large grey wall" - likely a reference to Israel's separation wall in the West Bank - which blocks the three kings from visiting the infant Jesus.

“It was sobering to see this wall for real on my visit to the Holy Land,” he said.

“But this Christmas morning, as well as thinking about the walls that divide and separate the Holy Land, I’m also thinking of all the walls and barriers we erect across the whole of the world and, perhaps most alarming of all, the ones we build around ourselves and construct in our hearts, and of how our fearful shielding of ourselves from strangers."

This is not the first time the Archbishop has spoken on the situation in the occupied West Bank, which he described in an interview with the Church Times in November as "apartheid" and "ethnic cleansing".

Cottrell has also said Israel is committing "genocidal acts" in Gaza, where its forces have killed over 71,000 Palestinians since October 2023