Palestine

Jerusalem fifty years after the Six Day War
- Commentary, Global Church
- June 8, 2017
In the 50 years since Israel took control of the West Bank in the Six Day War, the Vatican has continued to call for a special “international statute” to protect the special status of Jerusalem. The holy city is just that, holy to all history, and while it can serve as the eternal capital of the Jewish people, it cannot only be that.
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People around the globe stop for a minute of prayer for peace
- Global Church, Vatican
- June 8, 2017
The Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias and popstar Miley Cyrus were just some of the people who stopped for a minute of prayer for peace on Thursday. The initiative – promoted by Pope Francis – marked the anniversary of the meeting of Pope Francis, the late Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Vatican Gardens.
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Vatican should help build bridges between Israel and its neighbors
- Commentary, Vatican
- June 2, 2017
Sixteen Muslim countries – Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen – simply forbid Israeli passport holders entry. Period. There is little Vatican diplomacy could do to reverse the general ban on Israel at the border, but there might be small practical steps that might be proposed; some exceptions to the rule which might open a path toward future reform.
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New Hamas program softens language, but some goals remain
- Associated Press, Global Church
- May 2, 2017
Hamas, the Islamic militant group active in the Gaza strip, has toned-down it’s program by claiming independence from the Muslim Brotherhood and by changing the rhetoric surrounding Israel. The group has been forced into international isolation by Israel and Egypt since 2007.
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Catholic leaders urge Israel to meet Palestinian hunger strikers’ demands
- Catholic News Service, Global Church
- May 2, 2017
The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land said a group of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike are asking that their human rights and dignity be respected by Israel according to international law and the Geneva Convention.
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Vatican decries “genocidal scourge” of terrorism in the Middle East
- Pope Francis in Egypt, Vatican
- April 21, 2017
The chief Vatican diplomat to the United Nations said “there is no greater antidote to violence and hatred than dialogue and encounter” during a debate on the situation in the Middle East taking place at the UN Security Council. Archbishop Bernardito Auza also called on religious leaders to speak out against terrorism, especially when it’s done in the name of God.
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Jerusalem fifty years after the Six Day War