Anglican Church of Southern Africa welcomes more govts recognising Palestine as independent state

The Anglican bishops of Southern Africa have welcomed the ongoing recognition of Palestine as an independent state.
 
The state of Palestine has been recognised as a sovereign state by 157 of the 193 member states of the United Nations.
 
Palestine has been a non-member observer state of the UN General Assembly since November 2012.
 
The recognition of the state of Palestine as a sovereign state comes as Israel pushes ahead with its settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
 
It also comes amid a war on Gaza, which has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians.
 
The Anglican bishops of Southern Africa have urged more governments to follow the example of those that have recently taken the step.

In a statement adopted by the church's Synod of Bishops, the bishops are calling on Anglican churches to demonstrate their support for Palestinian rights.
 
They're further urging their members to undertake symbolic acts in support of the rights of the people of Palestine, such as the ringing of church bells at midday on Fridays.