WORLD NEWS: POPE MEETS PALESTINIAN LEADER ABBAS AT THE VATICAN

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Agency Report

Mahmud Abbas, the president of Palestine, met with Pope Francis on Thursday to address the “serious” humanitarian situation. Francis has recently stepped up his criticism of the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The Vatican tweeted pictures of the couple smiling together, claiming that they had a secret half-hour session to discuss peace efforts. The two have met multiple times before.

Abbas then met with Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s equivalent of a foreign minister, and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of the Holy See.

The discussions focused on the Church’s assistance in “the very serious humanitarian situation in Gaza”, the hoped-for ceasefire, release of all hostages, and “achieving the two-state solution only through dialogue and diplomacy”, a Vatican statement said.

A photo of Pope Francis praying in front of a nativity scene at the Vatican, where the baby Jesus’s manger is draped with a black and white keffiyeh scarf—a symbol of Palestinian resistance—was made public a few days prior to the meeting.

According to diplomatic and Vatican sources who spoke to AFP, the Israeli embassy to the Holy See protested the image and demanded that the keffiyeh be taken down.

Since the Israeli military war in Gaza and Hamas’s historic October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Francis has advocated for peace.

He has become more strident in his criticism of the Israeli offensive in recent weeks.

In extracts from a forthcoming book published in November, he called for a “careful” study as to whether the situation in Gaza “corresponds to the technical definition” of genocide, an accusation firmly rejected by Israel.

Francis denounced an “immoral” use of force in Lebanon and Gaza at the end of September.

The Holy See has recognised the State of Palestine since 2013, with which it maintains diplomatic relations, and it supports the two-state solution.

Abbas is also due to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella in Rome.

AFP