A cleric who defended a report questioning Israel’s right to exist has been made one of the most senior figures in the Church of Scotland, triggering concern among Jewish leaders north of the border.

The next Moderator of the Scottish Church, Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, was head of the ecclesiastical council behind a controversial document which suggested that Jews’ claim to the land of Israel could be invalidated by their treatment of Palestinians.

The document, The Inheritance of Abraham?, published in 2013, went on to suggest that the Church of Scotland should consider backing “economic and political measures involving boycotts, disinvestment and sanctions against the state of Israel focused on illegal settlements”.

At the time, Rev Foster-Fulton, then convener of the Church and Society Council, defended the report saying: “The Church of Scotland… chose the words of its report carefully to question and challenge not condemn or dismiss. It cannot and will not shy away from difficult subjects nor from speaking the truth in love — otherwise how we will ever progress?”

New College on the Mound, Edinburgh

New College on the Mound, Edinburgh

The Board of Deputies said the report was a “slap in the face” to the Jewish community. The Scottish Council of Jewish Communities called it “an outrage to everything that interfaith dialogue stands for”.

After the outcry the report was substantially rewritten with Rev Foster-Fulton, saying: “We believe that this new version has paid attention to the concern some of the language of the previous version caused amongst the Jewish community…”

In May Rev Foster-Fulton is due to take over as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The US-born clergywoman, who is also head of the charity Christian Aid Scotland, is due lead the Church at official events for the following 12 months.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism described her appointment as “troubling”. A spokesperson said: “She must make clear that she affirms the Jewish right to self-determination and the freedom of the Jews to their own theology. Without those assurances and indications of her goodwill toward the Jewish community, her elevation poses risks to the strides made in recent years in Jewish-Christian relations.”

However, the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities said Rev Foster-Fulton’s new role offered an opportunity for the church to “reset” its relationship with the Jewish community.

A spokesperson said: “It is now nearly ten years since the General Assembly cast a dark cloud over that relationship… As Convener of the Church and Society Council at the time, Sally Foster-Fulton was responsible for that document….”

The body, which represents Jewish communities across Scotland, called for Rev Foster-Fulton to use her power as Moderator to listen to Jewish people and understand “the hurt, the vulnerability, the alienation” caused by the report.

It added that progress on Jewish-Christian relations in Scotland has been made over the last decade.

“We have worked hard with friends within the Church to rebuild the relationship between our faith communities,” it said, “so it would be a matter of huge regret if that progress were now to be derailed, and we therefore trust that she and the Church she represents will exercise the power they have to redress the harm that has been done.”

In a statement responding to the concerns, Rev Foster-Fulton said she acknowledged the “criticism” and “significant upset” caused by the 2013 paper.

She said: “The Church used that experience as a catalyst for further conversations on the issues raised and we have continued to build on the insights those deeply cherished relationships have given us.”

She added that she intended to use her term in office to foster interfaith relationships.

The Principal Clerk of the Church of Scotland, Reverend Fiona Smith, said Church officials had recently met with Jewish leaders.

She said: “Flowing from our ongoing dialogue is a Jewish-Christian Glossary which is in the final stages of completion. The glossary is a testament to our shared respect for one another and our commitment to grow in our understanding of one another.”