Five months after the conflict in Gaza began, the undeclared war continues to exact a terrible toll on the lives and livelihoods of civilians. The 130 Israelis taken hostage during the Hamas atrocities of 7 October last year are still in captivity in unimaginable conditions. At the time of writing, the number of Palestinian civilian deaths exceeds 28,000; there are virtually no fully-functioning hospitals in Gaza; a member of the Israeli war cabinet has threatened that Israel will begin an offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza if Hamas does not release the hostages by the start of Ramadan on 10 March. There are hopes of a US-sponsored ceasefire, but the situation is febrile.
Meanwhile, Jews outside Israel are bearing the brunt of anti-Semitic attacks by individuals and groups who seek to vent their anger at the conflict on local Jewish communities. This has meant that almost any public Jewish gathering, certainly in the UK, must be guarded by police. Jewish businesses have been targeted by extremists; Jewish children in schools have been abused by other pupils, and children attending Jewish schools require protection going to and from them. This is a scandal which Catholics must do as much as possible to address by showing solidarity with Jewish colleagues, friends and neighbours; this resurgence of anti-Semitism is cowardly and base.
The conflict itself is terrible, as any offensive must be which is conducted in an already overcrowded territory where civilians are driven from one area to the next by successive Israel Defense Forces (IDF) actions. The Israeli army maintains that Hamas is to blame for IDF attacks on civilian centres such as hospitals, schools and places of worship because it situates its fighters in, around or under them.
This has been shown to be true in some cases, but it still does not validate direct attacks on places where many innocent civilians are taking refuge. The patchy and insufficient supply of food aid and the erratic and inadequate provision of electricity to hospitals – where patients on life support die when power is cut off – are not justified in an offensive that is aimed at targeting the militants responsible for the October atrocities. Meanwhile the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has sought to rule out the only possible ultimate political resolution of the conflict: a two-state solution.
It would be tragic if Catholic-Jewish relationships were to become another intangible casualty of the conflict. Yet, as John L Allen Jr observes in this issue, there are already signs that this has happened. A number of prominent Jewish clergy, including the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di Segni, have criticised the stance of both the Pope and senior Catholic clergy on the conflict. Dr Di Segni has observed pointedly that the Church does not have a monopoly on peace – a reference, it seems, to the Pope’s regular calls for a cessation of violence.
As Allen points out, the majority of local Christians in the region are Palestinian, and the Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem must speak for them. Even before this conflict, this community suffered from the activities of aggressive and unrepresentative settler groups. But given the number of clergy in Gaza and the occupied territories, it would be remarkable if they did not respond to the situation as they witness it. Pastoral concern may oblige Catholic clergy to criticise the Israeli conduct of the war as it affects civilians.
It should, however, be possible for the Church simultaneously to condemn anti-Semitism and to criticise aspects of the way the conflict is being waged, as well as to express a keen desire for a political settlement. Jewish-Catholic dialogue should have got to the point where friends can speak freely about their concerns. Friendship does not mean uncritical support of any and every action undertaken by the Israeli government. And any discussion about Jewish-Catholic relations must take into account the reality that the present Israeli government does not by any means represent all Israelis, let alone all Jews. Among the most trenchant critics of Netanyahu are liberal Jews. It would be wrong to treat the Jewish community as a unified and undifferentiated group, though we can assume that almost all Jews are concerned for the preservation and security of Israel.
The stance of the Vatican in this conflict is not the most pressing concern of the Israeli government or of Jewish communities, but the Church nonetheless has an important role to play in the region. This must be the worst of times in which to advance the case for a two-state solution, especially given the increased intransigence of settler groups in the wake of the Hamas atrocities in October. Yet this is what we must work for, and pray for. Lent is a good time to do so.
This article first appeared in the March 2024 issue of the Catholic Herald. To subscribe to our multiple-award-winning magazine and have it delivered to your door anywhere in the world, go here.
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