One report said that speculation is growing that Welby, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of the Eastern Orthodox Church might jointly issue a statement calling for a ceasefire. One doubts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take any notice of their "ceasefire" as rockets still rain down on Israel.

According to RNS, Welby will show solidarity with Christian communities and leaders there after a missile severely damaged the Anglican-run al-Ahli hospital in Gaza. The rocket that fell courtesy of Hamas, did not damage the hospital only a parking lot and the 500 dead has not been verified at this point. The only truth is that they were Gazans and not Israelis who died.

The visit, which is expected to last until Sunday, will also be more wide-ranging, according to a spokesperson at the archbishop's office at Lambeth Palace, with opportunities to visit leaders of other Christian churches and Jewish leaders as well, and to renew his call for the release of hostages taken during the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7. He will also express his sympathy for the victims of the Hamas attacks.

Welby is walking into minefield. The Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem and its leaders are pro-Palestinian to the core and have no use for Israel, and would not hesitate accepting a one-state solution if it was the West Bank PA authority running it.

He has called the loss of Israeli lives as "appalling," but he also expressed "grave concern" at the loss of life in Gaza and wants aid, now rolling in, to assist the civilian population of Gaza.

Tim Livesey, chief executive officer of the British charity , called Welby courageous, saying in an interview, "At such an agonizingly painful and dangerous moment, for the Archbishop of Canterbury to undertake a visit to Jerusalem is brave. It would be much easier to stay home."

I hate to burst his bubble, but the President of the US, Joe Biden, made a visit to Jerusalem expressing solidarity with the Israeli people and PM Netanyahu, condemning Hamas in no uncertain terms. Even FOX news was forced to give him credit for that.

Both Biden and Bibi are on the same page about the eradication of Hamas, Welby has expressed no such opinion, hoping he can broker a peace with terrorists!

Welby's reconciling skills will not work here. Welby would like the war to come to an end ignoring all the beheaded babies, all the rapes, all the torture and all the murder of Israeli citizens, one Anglican Archbishop told VOL. That is not going to happen.

Welby wants peace without stipulating that Hamas doesn't want peace. Hamas wants one state that does not include Jews. They, along with Hezbollah, Iran and the Palestinian Authority would love to see every Jew smoked or drowned. Welby doesn't want to face that reality. Welby calls for peace, will fall flat. Israel has made it clear there will be no peace until Hamas has been completely destroyed with no chance, they will ever return to rule Gaza again.

There will be no peace until the destroyers of peace are removed. Furthermore, Welby never addresses the issue of collateral damage, a by-product of any war. Winston Churchill never gave it much thought when he dropped tons of bombs on Dresden and Berlin.

"I hope he can persuade people with power not to pursue the path of retribution and violence," Livesey said. "Christians, Palestinian Christians especially, need global church leaders to stand with them, and if needs be to suffer with them. Together with, and not over against, others. I hope he is able to do that. If he does it will be a comfort for so many who are suffering terribly -- Christians, Jews, Muslims -- in these very dark times."

This is not about retribution and violence. This is about destroying a gang of armed terrorists who have been plaguing Israel with rockets for 25 years, and Israel wants them eliminated. That cannot be done non-violently. Consider the 1,400 Israeli men women and children violently slaughtered on Israeli soil. Where was the global outrage supporting Israel? Virtually none. When a hospital was hit by a Hamas rocket, there were confrontations in front of Israeli embassies and synagogues across the world, with leftist politicians raging against Israel.

Church leaders are full of mushy religious speak that will change nothing. Does Bibi care what they think? I don't think so.

Archbishop Justin Welby, Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra and Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg recently stood together outside Lambeth Palace in a plea for unity and peace amid the war between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday, a display of virtue-signaling at its finest. One wonders when Islam outdraws the Church of England in numbers whether they will be tolerant of the remnant of Christians in England. Don't count on it.

Welby's reconciling mush talk will go nowhere. It will not impress Netanyahu who must face the realpolitik of when he will move his troops in to destroy Hamas. One thing is for sure, he won't be consulting the Archbishop of Canterbury.

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