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From Rome
While the conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip does not seem to end, two representatives of Muslim opposition countries, one Sunni and the other Shiite, spoke with Pope Francis on Monday about the confrontation between Israelis. and Palestinians and one of them asked for his collaboration. . to obtain peace. These were the President of Sunni Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Foreign Minister of the Shia Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif, with whom he also spoke of other conflicts.
Erdogan, a rather conservative leader who challenges the leadership of Sunni countries with others, telephoned Pope Francis on Friday morning. He called for his participation in a “commitment of Muslims, Christians and all humanity” to stop the “massacre” suffered by the Palestinian people, according to Erdogan’s press office. Turkish news agency Anadolu also said the president had stressed to the Pope that “not only Palestinians but all Muslims, Christians and all mankind are the target of attacks carried out by Israel.” “If the international community does not sanction Israel, which commits crimes against humanity, the Palestinians will continue to be massacred,” Erdogan said, according to the presidential spokesman, also adding that the president allegedly accused Israel of “raping holy places “Muslims and Christians”, restricting access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Christian Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
“Turkey is carrying out intense diplomatic activity on all relevant international platforms, but the UN Security Council is not showing the necessary sense of responsibility,” he said. Erdogan in the conversation, as reported by the Italian agency ANSA. The Vatican press office gave no official information on the content of the colloquium.
As for the Iranian minister, the Vatican only reported that he had been received in audience by the Pope at the Vatican. Iranian agency Irna said Francisco and the minister discussed, among other things, the international situation, the sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran, the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and bilateral relations between the Vatican and the United States. Iran. Zarif said he had a “good dialogue” and exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East. Before visiting the Pope, Zarif met with the Vatican’s Second Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and Secretary of State Relations, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher.
Pope Francis had quoted Sunday the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, after having made the prayer of midday, the Regina Coeli, indicating that he followed with “great concern” the violence in Israel and in the Palestinian territories and addressed to the responsible. each zone, so that there is a ceasefire. “I follow with concern what is happening in the Holy Land. These days, violent armed clashes in the Gaza Strip and Israel risk escalating into a spiral of death and destruction. Many people have been injured and so many innocent people have died. There are children among them and it is terrible and unacceptable. His death is a sign that you don’t want to build the future but that you want to destroy it ”.
“The rise of hatred and violence is a serious wound for brotherhood and peaceful coexistence among citizens, which will be difficult to limit if a dialogue is not opened immediately. I ask myself: hatred and revenge, where will they lead? Do we really think about building peace by destroying the other? », Said Francisco who concluded by appealing for help from the international community.
At the same time, the US government sent an envoy to deal with both parties. The same intention apparently has the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, who therefore called a meeting of foreign ministers from across the European Union on Tuesday.
In the meantime, and given the very serious situation in Gaza, the Rome-based United Nations-dependent World Food Program sent emergency food aid on Monday because in the Gaza Strip there are at least 51 000 people suffering from food shortages. In addition, prices have increased since the start of the conflict, exacerbating what had already been suffered by the pandemic crisis. According to the program, more than two-thirds of the two million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip were food insecure before the start of the conflict. 53% of the population lives below the poverty line and unemployment reaches 45%.
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