Canon White of Coventry Cathedral said that while the Israeli disengagement from Gaza had been a hopeful sign, it had meant an increase in violence first. “We’re in a dangerous period and really don’t know what’s going to happen.”

His comments followed a visit last week with the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, to the key religious leaders behind the Alexandria Declaration. The visit was an attempt to reinvigorate the ‘religious peace process’ which was started by Lord Carey in 2000 in Alexandria. American evangelical leaders, who have previously supported the Zionism without qualification, also met with Lord Carey, including Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, RT Kendall and Ravi Zacharias. The Pope this week joined international condemnation of the Israeli air strike attack on Ahmed Yassin.

“Authentic and lasting peace cannot be the fruit of a mere ostentation of force, it is above all the fruit of moral and juridical action,” said a spokesman for the Holy See. The Vatican also said that the violence could not be “justified in any state of law”. The spokesman repeated the appeal for dialogue made by John Paul II to Palestinian and Israeli leaders earlier this year. In the attack earlier this week the 68-year-old was killed alongside at least seven others when Israeli forces fired missiles at him as he left a mosque in Sabra after dawn prayers.

Yassin founded Hamas in 1987. The group has been involved in scores of terrorist attacks on Israelis, including suicide bombings. Lambeth Palace this week said that the Archbishop of Canterbury had no plans to comment on the assassination. However, Dr Williams announced this week that he is to convene the third ‘Building Bridges’ seminar in Washington DC next month. The initiative, which began after the September 11 terrorist attacks, draws together Christian and Muslim scholars across the world. This year’s meeting will focus on the understanding of prophecy in the two faith communities. Dr Williams said: "Muslims and Christians share the conviction that the God who creates so generously also communicates with his creation, and they see the sending of prophets as a crucial part of that communication. So it's an exciting prospect for Christian and Muslim scholars to spend three days together studying the different ways in which our scriptures understand prophecy.”

The Middle East Council of Churches on Tuesday condemned the Israeli. The Rt Rev Mouneer Hanna Anis, Executive Council member described the Israeli assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin as a “very unwise” and “sad” event. The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, is “trying to combat violence by violence,” he said. The Bishop of Exeter said that moderates will not be engaged unless they are offered real hope.