Pope urges two-state solution to end Israel-Palestine conflict

In addition to calling for Jerusalem to have a special status, Pope Francis stated on Wednesday that a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine was necessary to end conflicts like the one that is currently raging. During an interview with the TG1 news channel on Italian state television RAI, Francis expressed his hope that the conflict, which started when Hamas militants entered Israel and killed about 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians, could not escalate regionally. About 230 Israelis were taken hostage by the militants. “Those two people are compelled to coexist.” Two states with that astute solution. The Oslo Accords, two distinct states, and Jerusalem’s unique status," Francis stated in a broadcast interview with Italy’s RAI. Yasser Arafat, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin shook hands on the Oslo Accords, which established limited Palestinian autonomy, in 1993. At the 2000 Camp David summit, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and Arafat participated, but no definitive peace agreement was reached. Arab East Jerusalem was taken over by Israel in 1967, and the entire city was proclaimed its “united and eternal capital” in 1980. The eastern portion of the city is viewed by Palestinians as the future capital of a state. Suggestions that the city, which is holy to Jews, Muslims, and Christians, could have a unique or international status have been repeatedly rejected by Israel. Francis said he speaks over the phone with priests and nuns who oversee a parish in Gaza that was providing shelter to about 560 people, mostly Christians but also some Muslims. Francis has advocated for humanitarian corridors to aid Gazans and a ceasefire. “For now, thank God, Israeli forces are respecting that parish,” he stated. He added that a large portion of antisemitism “remains hidden” and expressed concern about its rise. He stated that people shouldn’t let the conflict between Israel and Hamas overshadow other ongoing wars, such as those in Yemen, Myanmar, Ukraine, and Syria. (With agency inputs)