Pope Francis called for a two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during his traditional Christmas Day speech — a stinging rebuke to President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“Let us pray that the will to resume dialogue may prevail between the parties and that a negotiated solution can finally be reached, one that would allow the peaceful coexistence of two states within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders,” the pope said during his Urbi et Orbi address — Latin for “to the city and the world.”
“We see Jesus in the children of the Middle East who continue to suffer because of growing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians,” he told the audience of thousands at Saint Peter’s Basilica.
The remarks come two weeks after Trump reversed decades of American foreign policy by recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital — a move that was quickly condemned by the leaders of many Mideast countries.
Last week, 128 countries, including a number of US allies, backed a non-binding UN resolution rejecting Trump’s action.
The Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of an independent state, while Israel claims it as its “united and eternal” capital.
It’s the second time that the pontiff has obliquely criticized Trump’s decision on Jerusalem.
Earlier in December, he noted that the Holy City is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims and called for its identity to remain unchanged.
“I cannot remain silent about my deep concern for the situation that has developed in recent days,” the pope said. “And at the same time, I wish to make a heartfelt appeal to ensure that everyone is committed to respecting the status quo of the city, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the United Nations.”
Francis also invoked baby Jesus to refer to the defenseless children suffering from war, mass migration and natural disasters.
“As the winds of war are blowing in our world . . . Christmas invites us to focus on the sign of the child and to recognize him in the faces of little children, especially those for whom, like Jesus, ‘there is no place in the inn,’ ” he said.
The pope called on the world to see Jesus in the innocent children in warn-torn countries like Syria, Iraq and Yemen, where conflicts have been “largely forgotten, with serious humanitarian implications for its people, who suffer from hunger and the spread of diseases.”
With Wires