Overview
- Stephen Cottrell told worshippers at York Minster that during a Holy Land visit earlier this year he was stopped at checkpoints and told he could not visit Palestinian families.
- He described the groups as local Israeli militias and said the encounters left him feeling intimidated.
- The archbishop highlighted an olive wood nativity given by YMCA workers in Bethlehem that depicts a wall blocking the three kings from reaching the stable.
- He framed the experience as a call to confront fear of strangers and to recognize a shared humanity beyond physical and psychological barriers.
- News reports present his account from the sermon without independent verification or a response from Israeli authorities.