The first instance of controversy at the 13th Lambeth Conference occurred during the opening plenary session July 21, when the Bishop Coadjutor of Jerusalem walked out in protest over language in a dramatic presentation. The Rt. Rev. Riah Abu el-Assal said he protested language which he felt slighted Palestinian interests in the Holy Land.

The plenary session, titled The Bible, the World and the Church, included a play, "Wrestling with Angels," based mostly on a story from the Book of Genesis. The play ended with Jacob and Esau embracing and members of the cast writing "Judah" and "Israel" on two sticks and joining them to symbolize the creation of the nation of Israel.

A keynote address by David Ford, professor of divinity at Cambridge University, followed the play, and Bishop Riah walked out during that address.

Bishop Riah said he felt this was an insult to the people of Palestine because they regard Judah as the West Bank, where some 3 million Palestinians live. It is an area occupied by Israel since 1967.

"I must say I felt unhappy to the point of being sick," Bishop Riah said in a press conference following the plenary. "Judah today, in political terms, stands for the West Bank - the occupied West Bank." He added that the United Nations is supportive of a complete withdrawal by Israel as a condition for a lasting peace.

Bishop Riah said the play's symbolic joining of Judah with Israel gives credence to the cause of Christian fundamentalists who support attempts by Orthodox Israelis to annex the West Bank and Jerusalem. He said he would have preferred to see a gospel story used to illustrate the theme of peacemaking rather than a story from the Old Testament.

"The Old Testament has been misused for over 50 years by Christian fundamentalists like Jerry Falwell who see the creation of the modern state of Israel as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy," Bishop Riah said.

The bishop said he was tempted to leave the conference following the play, but he met with Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey and decided to press for a dialogue on the Holy Land.

The Rt. Rev. Stephen Sykes, Bishop of Ely (England), who coordinated the plenary session, said he would "consider very carefully" the concerns raised by Bishop Riah.

Most of the bishops and spouses attending the plenary applauded the play enthusiastically.