Israel Blasts the Vatican for 'Inconceivable' Comments on Gaza Situation
After meeting with his counterpart from the Vatican, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said that Israel expects “the Holy See to issue an unequivocal and clear condemnation of the murderous terrorist acts perpetrated by Hamas terrorists that caused grievous harm to children, women and the elderly just because they are Jews and Israelis.”
The Vatican’s secretary of state, Cadinal Pietro Parolin, referred to the attacks by Hamas as “inhuman” and expressed the Vatican’s “complete and firm condemnation.”
However, other public statements by Vatican officials, including Pope Francis himself, have seemed more equivocal, drawing at least tacit comparisons between Israel and the the radical Islamic terrorists who attacked it.
I continue to follow with great sorrow what is happening in Israel and Palestine. I renew my appeal for the freeing of the hostages and I strongly ask that children, the sick, the elderly, women, and all civilians not be made victims of the conflict.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) October 15, 2023
Humanitarian law is to be respected, especially in Gaza. Please, let no more innocent blood be shed, neither in the Holy Land nor in Ukraine, nor in any other place! Enough! Wars are always a defeat, always!
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) October 15, 2023
“There is no room for unfounded comparisons,” Cohen said, according to the statement from a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Hamas, a terrorist organization worse than ISIS, infiltrated Israel with the intent of injuring innocent civilians, while Israel is a democracy trying to protect its citizens from Hamas.”
Cohen did not single out any statement from the Vatican, which has issued a “range of reactions” to the October 7 attack, according to The Times of Israel.
Both the pope and the head of the Catholic Church in Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, issued statements calling for peace shortly after the attacks started, according to the Catholic News Agency.
“The continuing bloodshed and declarations of war remind us once again of the urgent need to find a lasting and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in this land,” Pizzaballa said in an October 7 statement.
The announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appears in its entirety below.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen spoke this evening with the Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See. In their conversation, FM Cohen clarified that Israel has the full right to defend itself against Hamas attacks, and called on the Vatican to clearly and unequivocally condemn the murderous terrorism directed against Israeli citizens.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen: “There is no room for unfounded comparisons. Hamas, a terrorist organization worse than ISIS, infiltrated Israel with the intent of injuring innocent civilians, while Israel is a democracy trying to protect its citizens from Hamas.
We expect the Holy See to issue an unequivocal and clear condemnation of the murderous terrorist acts perpetrated by Hamas terrorists that caused grievous harm to children, women and the elderly just because they are Jews and Israelis.
It is inconceivable that an announcement essentially expressing concern for the residents of Gaza is issued at the same time Israel is burying 1,300 murdered citizens.
Israel is fighting a war that was imposed upon it, and will continue to fight Hamas until it no longer poses a threat to the citizens of Israel. This is being done for the benefit of the entire world.”
FM Cohen spoke this evening with Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, Archbishop Paul Gallagher. The two discussed the developing situation in the south.
FM Cohen emphasized that Israel is a democracy that operates according to international law. He added that Israel will continue to do so in the future but will not hesitate to protect its citizens from murderous terrorist organizations such as Hamas.
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