VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI is warning violence could spread through the Middle East region, after Israel continued bombing Gaza and a suicide bomb rocked Tel Aviv.
The Pope appealed for a halt to violence in his Nov. 21 general audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall, as the fighting between the Palestinians and Israelis continued for the eighth day.
“I am following with great concern the escalation of violence between Israelis and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” said Pope Benedict.
“Along with my prayerful recollection of the victims and for all those who are suffering, I feel the duty to reiterate, once again, that hatred and violence are not the solution to problems.”
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Fouad Twal, said he is ‘‘horrified by the massive damage of this war, which he considers catastrophic in human and economic terms.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in the region on the morning of Nov. 20 to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and later with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi also spoke with Clinton about promoting stability in the region.
The Pope lent his support, saying, “I encourage the initiatives and efforts of those who are trying to obtain a ceasefire and to promote negotiations.”
“I also urge the authorities of both parties to take courageous decisions in favor of peace and put an end to a conflict with negative repercussions throughout the entire Middle East region, which is already tormented by too many conflicts and so in need of peace and reconciliation.”
Israel has carried out over 1,500 strikes since the violence broke out on Nov. 13, killing 139 Palestinians, according to medical officials. Most of them were civilians, and the count included 34 children.
The Israeli military said four Israeli civilians and one soldier have died so far.
The Israelis targeted more than 100 locations in Gaza overnight, and Palestinians fired 31 rockets at Israel. The Palestinian bombardment did not result in any injuries.
Israeli airstrikes damaged media buildings for the fourth day in a row, after airstrikes killed three Palestinian reporters on Tuesday.
The first overnight attacks targeted a building of Agence France-Presse, according to an AFP photographer. An Associated Press office was also damaged, and attacks were made on hotels hosting international journalists.
Israel’s army confirmed hitting one media building and said the attack targeted a ‘‘Hamas intelligence operations center.”
“Israel should respect its obligations under international law and immediately halt its attacks against news media offices,” Committee to Protect Journalists’ Sherif Mansour told CPJ news.
The committee said attacks also damaged the office of British outlet Sky News, Russia Today, Al-Arabiya, Al-Aqsa TV, Al-Quds TV and the independent Bethlehem-based Ma’an News Agency.
The committee believes both Al-Aqsa TV and Al-Quds TV are affiliated with Hamas.
The Pope visited Israel and Palestine in 2009, but was not in Gaza.
In September 2012, he visited Lebanon and asked for peace in the region, while war in Syria continued.
Edward Pentin: Pope Francis's Address to Diplomatic Corps - Full Text
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Do not like Benedict’s lumping self defense with “violence” and never will. It’s easy to talk peace. It’s harder to live under hundreds of rockets per year.
I understand the Pope’s call for peace with regard to the violence in Gaza - when faced with conflict, war and violence should be the very last resort. What I don’t understand is the Vatican’s apparent demonization of the nation of Israel for undertaking what seems a reasonable response to the current threat. This decidedly anti-Israel sentiment is evident in a statement made by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Vatican Council for Culture, while commenting on the war with Hamas: “I think of the ‘massacre of the innocents’. Children are dying in Gaza, their mothers’ shouts is a perennial cry, a universal cry”. Equating Israel’s operation in Gaza against terror groups with Herod’s slaughter of Jewish babies in his effort to kill Jesus seems terribly unjust and a substantial overreaction.
The tiny nation of Israel is surrounded by enemies who continually cry for its annihilation. Prior to this escalation they faced dozens of attempted terrorist attacks daily and weekly instances of military rockets being fired into their country. It is only by the Grace of God that more Israelis have not died in these attacks. Now they are experiencing hundreds of rocket attacks and five of their citizens, including a peacekeeper, are dead. And it now seems the terrorists have fallen back on one of their favorite tactics - they blew up a bus on a crowded city street! What people can live like this?
And what has been the Israeli response to these atrocities? Instead of carpet bombing the terrorist strongholds in Gaza, where terrorists are given freedom, even encouraged, to formulate their murderous plots, the IAF has conducted restrained and precise strikes designed to weaken their enemy’s capabilities to carry out further violence. The Israeli military chose to forego a perfectly acceptable, though harsh, military response to an act of war, which would have resulted in thousands and thousands of deaths, for a more measured and humane operation. Contrary to the cries of Israel’s detractors, this has always been the case.
The Israeli people did not instigate this madness. Their only “crime” is being alive and wanting a nation, a homeland. The residents of Gaza and the “Palestinian” territories have had ample opportunity to assimilate into neighboring countries. Instead they chose to stay and instigate hatred and violence. Nonetheless, the Israeli government has gone to great lengths to accommodate them and assimilate them into their society (nearly a third of Israeli citizens are Arab) while concurrently ensuring the safety of her people.
134 deaths in Gaza is tragic, but Israel is undeniably at war with an elusive government-backed foe who hides behind its own citizens. Not all of these dead are innocents. The terrorists are engaging in asymmetrical warfare designed to weaken the Israeli government, demoralize its people, and turn the international community against their state. Israel is fighting for its life.
As a faithful Catholic familiar with the Church’s history of persecution and a frequent traveler to Tel Aviv, I sympathize with our Jewish brothers and sisters and pray for their safety and peace. But I am still troubled by my Church’s position. I find myself wondering if the Holy See’s response might be different if the rockets were instead raining on Vatican City.
Curtis,
It’s what happens when hierarchy and Popes are trying to side with the poor no matter what other realities are taking place by the poor….like a hoped for holocaust by that poor against Mary’s people once they get better equipment from Iran as they recently did with the Fajr rockets. It’s the preferential option for the poor run amuck and with blinders on. Imagine Popes talking thus from 1253 AD til 1850 AD. I can’t. I think current Vatican leaders are unconsciously trying to impress and curry favor with Euro opinion on war matters… while remaining their adversary in other matters like sex. It’s schizoid. It reminds me of Rome surrendering the death penalty to Euro tastes in the hope that Europe in return would accept the seamless garment and anti abortion. That went well. Amnesty International actually later affirmed abortion…a topic outside their founding parameters.
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