Pope Leo
Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa says Jerusalem doesn’t need American permission to defend itself • Israel warns UNIFIL leaks aid the terror group.
The pontiff will fly to Lebanon after three days in the Anatolian nation.
“It’s perhaps among the most challenging in a series of moments in Catholic-Jewish relations over the last 60 years,” Rabbi Noam Marans told JNS.
The pope and Abbas previously spoke by phone on July 21 to discuss the fighting in the Gaza Strip and tensions in Judea and Samaria.
The pontiff called on “all those in positions of responsibility to commit themselves to this path, to bring about a ceasefire and to release the hostages.”
“There’s a very technical definition about what genocide might be, but more and more people are raising the issue,” the pontiff said.
“Israel longs for a day when the peoples of the Middle East, the children of Abraham, will live together in peace, cooperation and hope,” Herzog told Pope Leo.
The one-day visit is being made at the invitation of the pontiff.
“I implore that all hostages be freed, that a permanent ceasefire be reached, that the safe entry of humanitarian aid be facilitated, and that international humanitarian law be fully respected.”
The pontiff presses for renewed talks after Israeli shell hits church.
It is the duty of all countries to initiate “paths of reconciliation,” the pontiff said, urging the warring parties to appeal to “reason.”
“Considering the pressures on the church from both within and without, dramatic changes are rare,” David Michaels, of B’nai B’rith, told JNS.
