Israeli officials fear the pope’s vocal criticisms and symbolic gestures - such as this year’s nativity scene in St Peter’s Square featuring baby Jesus resting on a Palestinian keffiyeh - may influence global public opinion.

Created by Bethlehem artists Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi, the nativity scene prominently features Palestinian materials, including olive wood, a symbol of Palestinian resilience.

During its unveiling, Pope Francis condemned the global arms industry for profiting from human suffering and reiterated his call for an end to all wars, urging the faithful to remember those suffering in the holy land.

The display, praised by many as a message of solidarity and peace, drew backlash from Israel’s supporters, who accused the Vatican of promoting a pro-Palestinian agenda.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    “Yesterday, children were bombed. This is cruelty, not war,” the pontiff declared last Saturday, lamenting the immense humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.

    Israel lashed out in response, accusing the pope of ignoring its security concerns.

    Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein accused the pope of ignoring the broader context of Israel’s military actions, which have resulted in the killing of 17,000 children.

    Maybe everyone should ignore a “security concern” if the only way to alleviate that concern is murdering 17,000 children?

    Because whatever group you’re concerned about, probably won’t like you anymore after you murder 17,000 of their children…

    Especially when the reason for your concern is people are mad you keep killing them in the first place.

    • crusa187@lemmy.ml
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      1 day ago

      To be precise, not all 17k Palestinian children had the luxury of immediate death from being blown up with American bombs by Israeli terrorists. Many of them were in fact killed by sniper fire, with an alarmingly large percentage of the murdered children dying from headshot or chest shot sniper wounds. These are kids as young as 5 and 6 being headshot from miles away by Israeli snipers. This has been corroborated many times over by American doctors who were working in the Gaza hospitals, before all of those hospitals got blown up too.

      There is no possible security concern which could justify such acts of terrorism. Israel’s motivation is clearly a land grab, and Netanyahu’s is clearly to remain in power throughout the slaughter. They are absolute monsters.

    • Ogmios@sh.itjust.works
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      1 day ago

      Have you considered that even when Israel doesn’t kill children, people get upset about their children being corrupted in other ways instead?

      Edit: /s I guess?

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Well, that’s a hypothetical.

        Because Israel has been systemically killing children since England invented it. And the people they first put in charge were killing natives before that.

        Hell, their first PM even admitted they were stealing the natives land:

        Why should the Arabs make peace? If I was an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: we have taken their country. Sure, God promised it to us, but what does that matter to them? Our God is not theirs. We come from Israel, it’s true, but two thousand years ago, and what is that to them? There has been anti-Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They only see one thing: we have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that?

        https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ben-Gurion#Zionist_leadership_between_1919_and_1948

        It honestly wasn’t that long ago, and Israel has known from its inception that the people they stole the land from won’t just forget.

        But today you have people with a straight face claiming the people whose land was stolen “invaded” land that was stolen from them literally a day earlier…

        Sure, some understand reality and just spreading propaganda, but you still run into some who legit belief the bullshit.

        • Eatspancakes84@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          I do think it’s a bit more subtle than that. Throughout history people of all faiths, including Jews, Christians and Muslims and of various nations including Arabs, Kurds, Turks and Persians, have made the Middle East their home. The overall division of land at this moment implies that only a tiny slice goes to the Jews. I think realistically after WWII the parties could have come together to discuss independence from the UK in conjunction with a slice of land for the Jews.

          Of course, what happened instead was that the English gave land that was highly contested by all to the Jews, without any attempt at asking the opinion of the people living there.

          • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            Throughout history people of all faiths, including Jews, Christians and Muslims and of various nations including Arabs, Kurds, Turks and Persians, have made the Middle East their home.

            Yes, that was the demographic makeup of what is now Israel for thousands of years prior to the creation of Israel as a religious ethnostate…

            The overall division of land at this moment implies that only a tiny slice goes to the Jews.

            It’s only a tiny slice when talking about the entire Middle East…

            But even then, it’s an area where only Jewish people have full rights and can vote for political leaders…

            How many countries in the Middle East can only Christians vote for political leaders?

            the parties could have come together to discuss independence from the UK in conjunction with a slice of land for the Jews.

            Seriously…

            Why does there have to be religious ethnostates at all?

            Your entire argument is based on religious ethnistates having to exist, but they just fucking don’t.

            No country should require any religious determination to be able to vote for political leader.

            realistically after WWII the parties could have come together to discuss independence from the UK in conjunction with a slice of land for the Jews.

            Why not give the indigenous people autonomy after WW1 when the Ottoman empire was dissolved?

            Why give it European immigrants?

      • kreskin@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        so you saying people will be upset about one thing or another anyway, so who cares if Israel is murdering children? Thats a bold argument. Lets see how that works out for you.

        • Ogmios@sh.itjust.works
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          1 day ago

          Not at all. I’m suggesting that people are upset with Israel for more reasons than just the killing. They kill people because they refuse to stop doing those other things which upset others.

          • kreskin@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            Thats a pretty convoluted way of saying that, but I guess I’ll take your word for it.

            • Ogmios@sh.itjust.works
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              1 day ago

              Try thinking about what those other things are, related to corrupting children, which people are often upset with Israel for, and you might understand why I said it that way here.

              • kreskin@lemmy.world
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                1 day ago

                Well “Ogmios, the god of eloquence”, if you would just said what you mean, we could get this done in a lot fewer comments. Actually, nevermind. I’m not interested anymore. I regret ever replying.

                “Blocked ogmios”