In the latest sign of tension between Israeli and Catholic leaders over the conflict in Gaza, the Israeli embassy to the Holy See has criticised a recent statement from a commission representing Church leaders in the Holy Land denying that Israel’s offensive can be described as a “just war”.
“It should be lamented that a group of people from the Catholic Church has decided to issue a document that, using religious pretext and linguistic stunts, does nothing else than de facto objecting [to] Israel’s right to defend itself from its enemies’ declared intentions to put an end to its existence,” the 2 July Israeli press release said.
