Israeli authorities criticize Pope Francis for what they called "double standards"
Date
12/22/2024 6:20:11 AM
(MENAFN) Israeli authorities criticized Pope Francis for what they called "double standards" following his condemnation of the bombing of children in Gaza, which he described as "brutal." The comments came after an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip killed seven children from the same family. The Israeli Foreign Ministry expressed disappointment, stating that the pope's remarks were out of touch with the context of Israel's battle against terrorism, which they described as a multi-front war that began on October 7. They also accused the pope of unfairly targeting Israel with double standards.
In his annual Christmas address to Catholic cardinals, the pope referenced the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, highlighting the bombing of children as an example of brutality, stating, "This is not a war, it touches the heart." In a book published last month, the pope had cited international experts who suggested that the situation in Gaza could be seen as having genocidal characteristics.
An Israeli minister sharply criticized these remarks in an open letter published in Italy's Il Foglio, accusing the pope of trivializing the term genocide. Additionally, Pope Francis mentioned that the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem had been denied entry to Gaza on Friday while trying to visit the Catholic community there.
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