Anti-Israel carol service condemned by religious leaders

The event, titled "Bethlehem Now: Nine Alternative Lessons and Carols", was held last week St James's, Piccadilly and organised by Open Bethlehem, a Palestinian group and Jews for Boycotting Israeli.

It saw Once in Royal David's City sung as: "Once in Royal David's City, Stood a big apartheid wall, People entering and leaving, Had to pass a checkpoint hall, Bethlehem was strangulated, And her children segregated."

The Twelve Days of Christmas was refashioned as: "Twelve assassinations, Eleven homes demolished, Ten wells obstructed, Nine sniper towers, Eight gunships firing, Seven checkpoints blocking, Six tanks a-rolling, Five settlement rings, Four falling bombs, Three trench guns, Two trampled doves, And an uprooted olive tree."

The Rector of St James's Piccadilly, the Rev Charles Hedley, has said that he received dozens of complaints and will "think twice" before allowing a repeat of the service in his church, according to The Times.

The newspaper adds that the offices of both the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and his predecessor Lord Carey of Clifton have also criticised the service.

Among the guests were Baroness Tonge, the Liberal Democrat peer who was sacked from the party's front bench in 2004 after saying she "understood" why Palestinians became suicide bombers and that she would consider becoming one if she were Palestinian.

~ Telegraph ~