- Religious Institutions or Leaders
- African Methodist Episcopal Church
- Catholic
- Churches for Middle East Peace
- Ecumenical Christian
- Episcopal Church
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- Greek Orthodox
- Interreligious
- Jewish
- Lutheran World Federation
- National Association of Evangelicals
- Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
- Southern Baptist Convention
- United Methodist Church
- World Council of Churches
______________________________________________________
Religious Institutions or Leaders
African Methodist Episcopal Church
- Council of Bishops Calls for Immediate Withdrawal of Financial Support from Israel, February 14, 2024.
Catholic
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Pope Francis, Public Statements on the Israel-Hamas War, October 8, 2023 to present. >>
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U.S. and Canadian Catholic Bishop's Statements, October 8, 2023 to present. >>
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Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Letter to the people of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, October 24, 2023.
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Johan Jozef Bonny, Archbishop of Antwerp, “Jewish friends, I can no longer remain silent" [French], November 9, 2023. [unofficial translation]
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Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, Justice and Peace Commission, “Christmas Message 2023,” December 19, 2023.
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Jesuit Institute of South Africa, “An open letter to Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein,” December 21, 2023.
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Holy See Statement on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question," January 24, 2024.
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Five Catholic Bishops and Seven Women's Religious Communities in the Northwest USA, "A Call for Peace in the Middle East: A Joint Statement on the Conflict in Israel and Gaza," February 14, 2024.
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The Society of Jesus, "‘We cannot be silent’: A statement from the Jesuits on Gaza," March 28, 2024.
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Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, "In the Holy Land I saw broken hearts—and dreams for a better future," America, April 23, 2024.
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Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, Letter to Jewish Dialogue Partners, October 2, 2024.
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Statement of Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Brennan, prior to the Oct. 7th anniversary, October 4, 2024.
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Patriarch Pizzaballa, "A year after October 7 we implore peace," Vatican News, October 7, 2024.
Churches for Middle East Peace
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Public Statements and Letters (October 2023 to the present).
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"Global Christian Leaders Call for Permanent Gaza Ceasefire," March 26, 2024.
Ecumenical Christian
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Middle East Council of Churches, "The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem Issue a Statement on Peace and Justice Amidst Unfolding Violence," October 11, 2023.
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National Council of Churches, "Statement on Israel and Palestine and the Current Hostilities," October 9, 2023.
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"A Call for Repentance: An Open Letter from Palestinian Christians," October 20, 2023.
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An Open Letter from U.S. and Canadian Christians, "End the Nakba," December 3, 2023.
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Leaders of Nine Christian Churches in Canada, "A Church Leaders’ Letter Against Anti-Semitism to the Churches of Canada, the Jewish Community in Canada, and to All People of Good Will…," December 8, 2023.
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NCC Collection of Statements by members churches, other ecumenical statements, the World Council of Churches, Churches of Jerusalem, and Church World Service.
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The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, "Statement on the urgent need to conclude the present war, to turn from the pursuit of death and destruction towards the promotion of life and peaceStatement on the urgent need to conclude the present war, to turn from the pursuit of death and destruction towards the promotion of life and peace," August 26, 2024.
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Patriarch Michel Sabbah and members of the Christian Reflection from Jerusalem, "Keeping Hope Alive," October 7, 2024.
Episcopal Church
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Presiding Bishop Michael Curry , "10,000+ dead in Gaza: Stop the killing," November 7, 2023.
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Logan Crews, "Bishops, deputies pass compromise resolution backing Palestinian state; no mention of ‘apartheid,’" Episcopal News Service, June 28, 2024.
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Archbishop Justin Welby, "Archbishop of Canterbury statement on the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories," August 2, 2024.
- Episcopal Diocese of New York, "Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of New York passes three resolutions supporting Palestine," Religion News Service Press Release Distribution Service, November 21, 2024.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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ELCA presiding bishop issues statement on Israel-Hamas war, October 13, 2023.
Greek Orthodox
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Statement by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Light of the Tragic Events in the Middle East, October 8, 2023.
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Statements from our Hierarchs on the Violence in Israel, October 11, 2023.
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Patriarch John X (Antioch) Addresses Crisis in Gaza, October 13, 2023.
- Antiochean Orthodox Christian Patriarchate of North America, "Support Message from the Church of Antioch to the Church of Jerusalem," October 20, 2023. Excerpt of Statement of Holy Synod of October 23, 2023.
Interreligious
- Executive Board, International Council Of Christians And Jews, "In Solidarity with Israel," October 10, 2023.
Jewish
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Authors of the "Open Letter" to Pope Francis, Reply to Pope Francis' "Letter to My Jewish Brothers and Sisters in Israel," February 12, 2024.
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Over 400 signatories, "An Open Letter to His Holiness, Pope Francis, and to the Faithful of the Catholic Church," November 12, 2023.
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Chief Rabbi Goldman, “Repent for sins against Israel (Chief Rabbi tells Pope Francis),” You Tube, December 20, 2023.
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Chief Rabbi David Lau of Israel, "Chief Rabbi Lau Calls Out Pope For 'Outrageous Statement,'" Yeshiva World, December 24, 2023.
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Chief Rabbi Riccardo Shmuel Di Segni of Rome, "Address on the 35th Day of Dialogue between Catholics and Jews," January 17, 2024.
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International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations, "IJCIC Rejects Charge of Israeli Genocide," November 22, 2024.
- Chief Rabbi Riccardo Shmuel Di Segni of Rome, "Rabbi Di Segni criticizes the Pope: 'His words are a new episode in the saga "we are good, you are bad,"'" Corriere della sera, November 24, 2024. [unofficial translation of a news story]
Lutheran World Federation
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Statement: "Avert War in the Middle East," October 8, 2023.
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Statement: "Israel and Palestine: Civilians must be protected, and hostages released," October 11, 2023.
National Association of Evangelicals
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"NAE Condemns Violence in Middle East," October 9, 2023.
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"Prayer for Peace and Justice in the Middle East," October 11, 2023.
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"Allow More Humanitarian Aid Into Gaza, Evangelical Leaders Say," May 7, 2024.
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
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Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, "Statement on Israel and Gaza," October 10, 2023.
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Acting Stated Clerk condemns violence between Israel and Hamas, October 13, 2023.
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Hospital bombing in Gaza Strip draws strong reactions from General Assembly Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations, October 20, 2023.
- Yonat Shimron, "Presbyterian Church (USA) votes to divest from Israel bonds," Religion News Service, July 1, 2024.
Southern Baptist Convention
- Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and other Evangelical Leaders, "Evangelical Statement in Support of Israel," October 11, 2023.
United Methodist Church
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United Methodist Church Bishops condemn violence in the Middle East, call for prayer and action, October 9, 2023.
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United Methodist Church bishops call for peace in the Holy Land, November 10, 2023.
World Council of Churches
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Jerry Pillay, General Secretary, "WCC calls for immediate end to brutal violence in Gaza," December 30, 2024.
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Jerry Pillay, General Secretary, "WCC general secretary statement on public hearings in the International Court of Justice on allegations against the State of Israel," January 11, 2024.
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Executive Committee, "Statement on the Escalating Crisis in Gaza," June 11, 2024.
Opinion Essays
General
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Yuval Noah Harari, "The Hamas horror is also a lesson on the price of populism," The Washington Post, October 11, 2023.
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Neri Zilber, "What Israelis see, and don’t see, about the war in Gaza," Christian Science Monitor, December 12, 2023.
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Bradley Burston, “Netanyahu’s one job was to prevent this catastrophe. Instead, he destroyed Israel as we know it,” The Forward, December 20, 2023.
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Nora Berman, “‘We’re sick and tired of the West telling us what to do’: Palestinian Israeli peace activists speak out on a new podcast,” by The Forward, December 21, 2023.
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Melanie Phillips, "The Revival of an Ancient Calumny," Jewish News Syndicate, December 21, 2023.
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Jodi Rudoren, "'Ashamed at how my heart has shrunk': Takeaways from 10 days of reporting in Israel," The Forward, December 22, 2023.
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Alma Gottlieb and Ron Duncan Hart, "Opinion: At the heart of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, anthropology matters as much as history," The Hill, December, 27, 2023.
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Ted Deutch, “Four big lies driving the alarming surge in antisemitism – opinion,” The Jerusalem Post, December 28, 2023.
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Kimberly Heatherington, "Israel’s war on Hamas raises significant moral concerns as Gaza death toll soars," Catholic Review, January 4, 2024.
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Grace Ji-Sun Kim, "End the Nakba: An Open Letter," Loving Life, January 20, 2024.
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Justice and Peace Commission of the Holy Land, "Just War?" June 30, 2024.
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Embassy of Israel to the Holy See, "Press Release" in response to the previous item, July 2, 2024.
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Ofri Ilany, "Opinion | Genocide or Not, Israel Is Perpetrating War Crimes in Gaza," Haaretz, November 17, 2024. [full text]
- Melanie McDonagh, "Interview: Cardinal Pizzaballa on the ‘traumatised’ loss of perspective among Israelis and Palestinians," Catholic Herald (UK), November 30, 2024.
College Campus Clashes
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Günther Jikeli, “Anti-Semitism at U.S. elite universities: Not a word about Hamas,” Die Tageszeitung [German], December 5, 2023. [Unofficial translation]
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Massimo Faggioli, “Catholic universities in the United States and the Israel-Hamas war,” La Croix International, December 14, 2023.
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Bernie Steinberg, “For the Safety of Jews and Palestinians, Stop Weaponizing Antisemitism,” Harvard Crimson, December 29, 2023.
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Nancy Gibbs, "Opinion: Universities and corporations should have the right to remain silent," Washington Post, January 3, 2024.
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Suzanne Blake, "Protesters Regret 'From the River to the Sea' Chant upon Learning Meaning," Newsweek, January 11, 2024.
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Peter Rutland, "Opinion: Why so many Americans are misapplying ‘settler colonialism’ to Gaza," CNN, January 17, 2024.
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Yossi Klein Halevi, "The war against the Jewish story," The Times of Israel, May 5, 2024.
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Thomas L. Friedman, "Why the Campus Protests Are So Troubling," The New York Times, May 8, 2024.
Interreligious Relations
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Tom Rabbe, "Protestant Churches Split on Israel-Hamas War," The American Spectator, November 4, 2023.
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Noam Marans, "To Christian leaders: Your Jewish neighbors need you," The Times of Israel, November 11, 2023.
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Samantha Kamman, "Black pastors encourage African American churches to defend Israel, not 'side with the devil,'" The Christian Post, November 11, 2023.
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Cathryn J. Prince, "A sizeable US demographic, many Evangelicals are sending money and manpower to Israel," The Times of Israel, November 12, 2023.
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John L. Allen, Jr., “It’s impossible to ignore Pope Francis’s growing Jewish problem,” Crux, November 26, 2023.
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Tzvi Novick, “The Catholic Church, the Jewish People, and the Current Gaza War,” Church Life Journal, November 28, 2023.
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David Meyer, “A rabbi’s call for Pope Francis and Catholics to respond to ‘existential threat’ facing Jewish people,” America, November 28, 2023.
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Michael Sean Winters, "Drawing Moral Distinctions in War," National Catholic Reporter, December 6, 2023.
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David B. Rivkin and Peter Berkowitz, "The Primitive Pacifism of Pope Francis’ Lecture to Israel," Wall Street Journal, December 13, 2023.
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Saundra Sterling Epstein, “Where Are My Multi-Faith Groups When I Need Them Most?” Times of Israel (The Blogs), December 20, 2023.
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Hanna Vioque, “Western churches called for cease-fire. Palestinian Christians heard empty words,” Religion News Service, December 21, 2023.
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Savannah Hawley, "Tri-faith initiative in Nebraska supports one another through the impact of war, " National Public Radio, December 27, 2023.
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Massimo Faggioli, “The effects of the Israel-Hamas war on Jewish-Catholic relations,” La Croix International, January 4, 2024.
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Gerald O'Connell, "An Israeli Jesuit priest on the war in Gaza, Jewish-Catholic relations and the future of the two-state solution," America, January 5, 2024. [Interview with David Neuhaus; see reply below from Karma Ben Johanan on Jan. 18.]
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Dinah Porat, "Israel and the Vatican should combat antisemitism together," Ynet, January 7, 2024.
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NCR Editorial Staff, "Editorial: The utter destruction of Gaza must end," National Catholic Reporter, January 11, 2024.
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Lux Alptraum, "Why it’s time to leave the labels of ‘Zionist’ and ‘anti-Zionist’ behind," The Forward, January 11, 2024.
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Yael Eckstein, "700 Million Christians Can't Be Wrong on Israel," Newsweek, January 16, 2024.
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George Wilkes and Benjamin Ward, "How Can Europe Make Human Rights of Jews Count?" euobserver, January 17, 2024.
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Karma Ben Johanan, "There is a right and wrong way for Catholics to criticize Israel," America, January 18, 2024. [See interview above by Gerald O'Connell of David Neuhaus on Jan. 5.]
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Ron Kronish, "The Dilemma of the Double Narrative in Israel and Palestine (and Beyond)," The Times of Israel, January 24, 2024.
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Lucetta Scaraffia, "If Distancing between Jews and Catholics Returns," La Stampa, January 28, 2024. [unofficial translation]
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Yehuda Ketzer, "We must continue to support Israel’s war — and honestly grapple with tough questions from critics," The Forward, January 29, 2024.
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Gregor Maria Hoff, "Those who are attacking Jews are also attacking us!" Communio Online, February 8, 2024. [unofficial translation]
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Thomas Banchoff, "Abrahamic Dialogue in the Shadow of War," Commonweal, February 16, 2024. [The Israel-Hamas war creates new challenges for Vatican diplomacy.]
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Peter Oppenheimer, "A Jewish perspective on the Catholic Church’s response to the Gaza conflict," Catholic Herald, Feburary 19, 2024.
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David Neuhaus, Guy Alaluf, "Rabbi Alaluf: Pope Francis’ letter to the Jewish people has put an end to a ‘crisis’" America, February 21, 2024.
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John L. Allen, Jr., "Feeling the strain: Israel, Gaza and the ‘special relationship’ of Jewish-Catholic dialogue," Catholic Herald, March 2, 2024.
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Elise Ann Allen, "Israeli historian: Vatican should do more for hostages, especially women," Crux, March 14, 2024.
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Miriam Zimmerman, "‘Wounded child, no surviving family’ — 1944 in Europe or 2024 in Gaza?" Jewish News of Northern California, March 29, 2025.
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Anastasis: "French Catholic Voices call for Ceasefire," LaCroix, April 4, 2024. [unofficial translation]
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Christophe Le Sourt, Louis-Marie Coudray, Patrick Desbois [in response to the previous item]: "To Our Fathers in Faith: You Are Not Alone" LaCroix, April 22, 2024. [unofficial translation]
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David Neuhaus, "Anti-Semitism and Palestine," Vatican News, May 8, 2024.
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Mark Dratch, "No, Jews didn't kill Jesus - and many Christians know it - opinion," The Jerusalem Post, May 13, 2024.
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John L. Allen, Jr., "War of words between Israel and the Vatican over Gaza heats up," Crux, May 19, 2024.
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David Neuhaus, "Jewish-Catholic Dialogue in the Shadow of the War in Gaza," La Civilta Cattolicà, May 27, 2024. [full text]
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Cindy Wooden, "Amid prayers for peace, Vatican-Israeli tensions were on display," National Catholic Reporter, June 7, 2024.
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Dominic Preziosi, "Toxic Relationship," Commonweal, September 20, 2024.
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David Neuhaus, "The Ultra-Orthodox in Israel," La Civilta Cattolicà, September 26, 2024.
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Magdalena Dziaczkowska, "Impact of October 7 Attack and 2024 War in Gaza on Catholic–Jewish Relations, Religions 2024, 15(10), 1180, September 27, 2024.
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Ethan Schwartz, "Pope's Oct. 7 letter citing antisemitic verse is a disaster for Jewish-Catholic relations,"Religion News Service, Ocober 7, 2024.
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Sam Kastel, "A rabbi’s response to the Oct. 7 attacks—and how the conflict has evolved since," America, October 8, 2024.
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Massimo Faggioli, "The post-October 7 world and the 'new covenant' between Jews and Christians," La Croix, October 11, 2024.
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John L. Allen, Jr., "Pope’s use of fraught verse on Gaza anniversary raises troubling questions," Crux, October 13, 2024.
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Philip A. Cunningham, "Dear Pope Francis: It was dangerous to cite John 8:44—a verse used to justify Jew hatred for centuries," America, October 17, 2024.
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Adam Gregerman, "How the state of Israel became ‘the Jew’ writ large," Fathom, October 31, 2024.
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Massimo Faggioli, "The Church after Gaza," La Croix, November 7, 2024.
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Tristan Sturm, "Mike Huckabee’s old-school Christian Zionism is bad news for anyone who wants Middle East peace," The Forward, November 15, 2024.
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Dror Eydar, "The Pope's New Blood Libel," Israel Hayom, November 18, 2024.
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Gregor Maria Hoff, "Does the Pope know what he is doing? Francis and the genocide accusation against Israel," Communio Online, November 19, 2024. [unofficial translation, posted with author's permission]
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Adam Gregerman, "Unfulfilled Promise: Pope Francis and the Israel-Hamas War," The Tablet, November 19, 2024.
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WSJ Editorial Board, "Pope Francis Turns on Israel: With his call for a genocide investigation in Gaza, the pope has taken a side," Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2024. [full text]
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Saundra Sanders Epstein, "We MUST Have These Difficult Conversations," The Times of Israel, November 22, 2024.
News and Analyses
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Anthony Faiola, Stefano Pitrelli and Louisa Loveluck, “In undisclosed call, Pope Francis warned Israel against committing ‘terror,’” Washington Post, November 20, 2023. This report picked up HERE.
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Roger Cohen, “Who’s a ‘Colonizer’? How an Old Word Became a New Weapon,” New York Times, December 10, 2023.
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Stephen Erlanger, “Under Rules of War, ‘Proportionality’ in Gaza Is Not About Evening the Score,” New York Times, December 13, 2023.
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Julius H. Schoeps, "Contemporary Philosophical and Ethical Fights over Jews, Judaism, and the State of Israel," jcrelations.net, January 2, 2024.
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Russell Contreras, "War in Gaza tests historically strong Latino evangelical support for Israel," Axios, January 16, 2024.
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Opinion: Rob Eshman, "Biden’s bold vision: A chance to turn a brutal war into a visionary future," The Forward, May 31, 2024
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Jonathan Karp, "Anti-Israelism," Jewish Review of Books, Winter 2024.
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Press Release: "Statement from Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Recent Iranian Influence Efforts," July 9, 2024.
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Patrick Kingsley, Natan Odenheimer, Aaron Boxerman, Adam Sella, and Iyad Abuheweila, "How Hamas Is Fighting in Gaza: Tunnels, Traps and Ambushes," New York Times, July 13, 2024.
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Rushdi Abualouf, "Gaza’s top Islamic scholar issues fatwa criticising 7 October attack," BBC News, November 8, 2024.
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Andrea Tornielli and Roberto Cetera, Interview with Prof. Anna Foa on her latest book, 'The Suicide of Israel,' Vatican News, November 13, 2024.
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Itamar Eichner, "Pope Francis clarifies Israel 'Genocide' remarks: 'Taken out of context,'" YNet News.com, November 25, 2024. [Note: the audience mentioned in this article seems to have been with the "Universal Peace Council" which Pope Francis addressed. The Vatican has not confirmed the statements attributed to the pope here.]
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Michelle Boorstein, "Huckabee pick as Israeli ambassador reflects long evangelical alliance," Washington Post, December 2, 2024.
Sub-topic: The Charge against Israel of Genocide at the International Court of Justice and the United Nations:
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Solcyre Burga, "What to Know About South Africa's Genocide Case Against Israel," Time, January 12, 2024.
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Patrick Wintour, "Analysis: Stakes high as South Africa brings claims of genocidal intent against Israel," The Guardian, January 4, 2024.
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Anna Lombardi, "Opinion: Interview with Menachem Rosensaft" on South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice, La Repubblica, January 3, 2024. [translation]
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Patrick Kingsley, "News Analysis: Accused of Genocide, Israelis See Reversal of Reality. Palestinians See Justice." New York Times, January 12, 2024.
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Opinion: "J Street Supports Accountability for Israeli Government Actions in International Forums and in the US Congress, Rejects 'Genocide' Charge," J Street, January 16, 2024.
- Aryeh Neier, "Is Israel Committing Genocide?" New York Review of Books, June 6, 2024.
- United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, "UN Special Committee finds Israel’s warfare methods in Gaza consistent with genocide, including use of starvation as weapon of war," November 14, 2024.