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November 17, 2024 | 08:27 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pope Francis suggests to the international community to conduct a study to determine whether Israel's military campaign in Gaza constitutes genocide against the Palestinian residents of Gaza. These remarks mark some of the most explicit criticisms from the Argentine Pope regarding the Gaza war that has been ongoing for a year.
In a quote from a book that will be launched on Sunday, November 17, 2024, local time, Pope Francis stated that some international relations experts believe that what is currently happening in Gaza bears characteristics of genocide.
"We must investigate this matter very carefully to be able to assess whether it fits the technical definition of genocide established by legal experts and international organizations," said Pope Francis in his book published by La Stampa in Italy.
Israel has denied all accusations of genocide directed towards them. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet responded to Pope Francis' comments.
In December 2023, South Africa filed a lawsuit against Tel Aviv in the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of violations of the Geneva Conventions. While in January 2024, judges at the ICC ordered Tel Aviv to ensure that its troops do not engage in any actions related to genocide. However, the ICC has not made a decision on whether genocide has occurred in Gaza.
Pope Francis is the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. He is known as a figure who is very cautious and does not want to take sides in international conflicts, and calls for tensions to be eased. However, Pope Francis recently chose to criticize Israel's behavior in the Gaza war.
Previously, in September 2024, Pope Francis condemned the deaths of children in Gaza during a series of Israeli attacks. He also sharply criticized Israel's attacks in Lebanon as actions that exceed morality.
Pope Francis had never openly described the situation in Gaza as a genocide. However, last year, Pope Francis became the center of dispute when a group of Palestinian residents in the Vatican insisted that Pope Francis personally referred to them as genocide, but the Vatican denied this.
Source: Reuters
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