Israel Warns Vatican on Equating its Defense with Hamas’s Assault: “It’s Just Wrong”

Following the recent alarming escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas militants, Pope Francis, deeply troubled, appealed for peace and an end to the hostilities. His call came amid growing concerns about the death and suffering of innocent people on both sides.

Israel’s embassy to the Holy See swiftly responded, cautioning the Vatican against drawing moral equivalences between Israel’s defense actions and Hamas’s assaults. In a pointed statement, the embassy urged the Vatican to steer clear of “linguistic ambiguities” and “parallelisms,” reports Crux Now.

“To suggest parallelisms where they don’t exist isn’t diplomatic pragmatism, it’s just wrong,” the embassy asserted.

Emphasizing Israel’s position, the statement continued, “The response of Israel cannot be described as anything other than the right of legitimate self-defense.” They were clear in their view that equating Israel’s defensive actions to Hamas’s aggressive strikes was both misguided and inaccurate.

This firm stance from Israel follows the heartfelt pleas from religious leaders. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, had earlier expressed his apprehensions about the spiraling violence. Meanwhile, a joint statement from the patriarchs and heads of the Churches in Jerusalem emphasized the teachings of Jesus Christ and the advocacy for an end to violent activities harming both Palestinian and Israeli civilians.

It remains to be seen how the international community will respond to these evolving dynamics, but for now, the hope for a peaceful resolution persists.

Pray for peace!

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