2 yıl önce

Pope condemns increasing 'death spiral' in Israel-Palestinian conflict

Pope Francis says the death spiral that increases day by day only closes few glimmers of trust that exist between two peoples.

Reuters Archive

Since the beginning of the year, dozens of Palestinians have been killed in clashes with the Israeli army, the pope says.

Pope Francis has condemned a resurgence of violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling on both sides to engage in a "sincere search for peace."

"The death spiral that increases day by day only closes the few glimmers of trust that exist between the two peoples," said the pope following his traditional Angelus prayer in St. Peter's Square.

Francis, 86, cited 10 Palestinians, including a woman, killed in an Israeli army raid on a refugee camp in occupied West Bank, and an attack Friday by a Palestinian gunman that killed seven Israelis outside a synagogue in occupied East Jerusalem.

"Since the beginning of the year, dozens of Palestinians have been killed in clashes with the Israeli army," said the pope.

"I appeal to the two governments and the international community to find other ways without delay, including dialogue and the sincere search for peace."

"It is with great sorrow that I learn of the news coming from the Holy Land," he said.

At least 200 Palestinians and 26 Israelis were killed across the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel in 2022, the majority in the occupied West Bank, according to an AFP tally from official sources.

SOURCE: AFP