Pope Francis raises for the first time the accusations of “genocide” in the Gaza Strip targeting Israel, in a forthcoming book, extracts of which were published on Sunday in Italy.
“According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of genocide. This should be carefully studied to determine whether [la situation] corresponds to the technical definition formulated by jurists and international organizations”believes the Pope.
These words are taken from Francis' new book, Hope never disappoints. Pilgrims towards a better world (“hope never disappoints. Pilgrims towards a better world”, Editions Piemme), to be published Tuesday in Italy, Spain and South America, and including the Italian daily The Press published extracts on Sunday.
The sovereign pontiff regularly refers to the extermination of Jews during the Second World War, to the genocide of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire, of Tutsi in Rwanda or of Christians in the Middle East. He frequently deplores the civilian victims in the Gaza Strip, but this is the first time that he publicly uses the term “genocide” – without however taking it up on his own – in the context of Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territory. .
On Thursday, a special United Nations committee released a report in which it found that the methods of warfare employed by Israel “correspond to the characteristics of a genocide”.
