ROME (Reuters) – Pope Francis has suggested that the global community should study whether Israel’s military assault on Gaza constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people, in some of his most explicit criticism yet of Israel’s conduct in its long-running war. year.
In excerpts published this Sunday (17) from a new book to be released, the pontiff stated that some international experts say that “what is happening in has the characteristics of a genocide”.
“We must investigate carefully to assess whether this fits the technical definition (of genocide) formulated by jurists and international organizations,” the pope said in the excerpts, published by the Italian newspaper La Stampa.
Continues after advertising
Israel has denied all accusations of genocide. Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the pope’s remarks.
In December last year, South Africa filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice for alleged violation of the Genocide Convention. In January, the court’s judges ordered Israel to ensure that its troops did not commit genocidal acts. The court has not yet ruled on the crux of the case – whether there was genocide in Gaza.
Francis, leader of the 1.4 billion-member Catholic Church, is often cautious about not taking sides in international conflicts and emphasizing de-escalation. But recently he has intensified his criticism of Israel’s conduct in its war against Hamas.
Continues after advertising
The Vatican has not commented on Francis’ most recent statements, but its website this Sunday reported excerpts from the book, including the commentary on genocide.
FREE ACCESS
BONDS PORTFOLIO
