GENEVA, Switzerland, JAN. 12, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The warring parties in the Middle East cannot get out of the circle of violence on their own, and so they need international help, says the Holy See.
This was the affirmation made by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See’s permanent observer at the U.N. offices in Geneva, in an address delivered last Friday regarding the situation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
The prelate expressed the solidarity of the Holy See with “both the people in Gaza, who are dying and suffering because of the ongoing military assault by the Israeli Defense Forces, and the people in Sderot, Ashkelon and other Israeli cities who are living under the constant terror of rocket attacks launched by Palestinian militants from within the Gaza Strip, which have caused casualties and wounded a number of people.”
Archbishop Tomasi noted the prayers being offered for the end of the conflict and religious leaders’ conviction that “the continuation of bloodshed and violence will not lead to peace and justice but breed more hatred and hostility and thus a continued confrontation between the two peoples.”
The prelate went on to say that it is “evident” that the “warring parties are not able to exit from this vicious circle of violence without the help of the international community that should therefore fulfill its responsibilities, intervene actively to stop the bloodshed, provide access for emergency humanitarian assistance, and end all forms of confrontation.”
“At the same time,” he said, “the international community should remain engaged in removing the root causes of the conflict that can only be resolved within the framework of a lasting solution of the greater Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the international resolutions adopted during the years.”
