Pope Francis on Sunday condemned rising violence in the Middle East and called on both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to engage in a “sincere search for peace”.
“The spiral of death that increases day by day only closes the few glimmers of trust that exists between two people,” said the pope after his traditional Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.
The pontiff’s comments came after two terrorist shootings in Jerusalem over the weekend, including one in which he seven civilians killedAnd there has been an increase in deadly clashes in the West Bank, which have killed 32 Palestinians since the beginning of the year, many of them gunmen, but also many unrelated civilians.
“Since the beginning of the year, dozens of Palestinians have been killed in clashes with Israeli forces,” the Pope said.
“I appeal to both governments and the international community to urgently seek other avenues, including dialogue and a serious search for peace,” the Pope said.
“It is with great sadness that I have learned of the news coming from the Holy Land,” he said.
