Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.
Sheikh Qassem: The government’s latest decision [on the disarmament of the Resistance] is non-charter-based, and if the government continues down this path, it is not faithful to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Chief Israeli Rabbi demands Pope to retract 'terrorism' remarks

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 24 Dec 2023 16:25
  • 3 Shares
3 Min Read

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the Israeli occupation David Lau calls on Pople Francis to take back his remarks wherein he accused the Israeli occupation of terrorism.

  • x
  • Israeli Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau delivers his speech flanked by Pope Francis during the '7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions', at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, September 15, 2022 (AP)
    Israeli Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau delivers his speech flanked by Pope Francis during the '7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions', at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, September 15, 2022 (AP)

Israeli Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau called on Pope Francis to retract his statements on the murder of two Palestinian women in a churchyard in the Gaza Strip after the great Pontiff described it as an "act of terror."

"The State of Israel embarked on a just war in the face of attacks from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen that threatened the very existence of the State," the Israeli Rabbi claimed.

"[The killing of two women in the Churchyard in Gaza], however, does not turn us into terrorists," he argued. "We are doing everything possible to prevent and reduce harm to civilians," he further claimed, as the Israeli occupation's crimes have thus far killed more than 20,400 Palestinians.

Pope Francis stated that "Israel" was using "terrorism" tactics in Gaza, commenting on the killing by the Israeli military of two Christian women who had taken refuge in a church complex.

At his weekly blessing, the Pope referred to a statement about an incident on Saturday by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Catholic authority in the Holy Land.

The Patriarchate said an Israeli sniper killed the two women, Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar, as they walked to a convent of nuns in the compound of the Holy Family Parish.

Related News

Doctors in Gaza report severe levels of hunger: AP

At least 15 martyrs in Nasser Hospital massacre in Gaza

The Patriarchate statement said seven other people were shot and wounded as they tried to protect others.

"I continue to receive very grave and painful news from Gaza," Francis said. "Unarmed civilians are the objects of bombings and shootings. And this happened even inside the Holy Family parish complex, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick or disabled, nuns."

The Great Pontiff had earlier described Israeli actions in Gaza as "acts of terror," The Washington Post reported. It was when Herzog was describing the "horrors" of the Oct. 7 operation that the Pope stopped him in his tracks issuing a blunt rejoinder.

"It is forbidden to respond with terror," Francis said, according to a senior Israeli official familiar with the call.

This information, not previously reported, reveals a direct exchange during which the Pope maintained his position, emphasizing the necessity of holding accountable those responsible for targeting civilians.

In this statement, the Pope characterized the struggle as having "gone beyond war" and labeled it as "terrorism". Coupled with the undisclosed diplomatic exchange, this implied that the Pope was denouncing "Israel's" campaign in Gaza as an "act of terrorism," as suggested by a senior Israeli official speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the matter.

The public remarks by Pope Francis have triggered strong reactions from pro-Israeli groups, including the American Jewish Committee, and reignited historical tensions between some Jewish leaders and the Vatican, the report added.

  • Israel
  • Israeli occupation
  • Vatican
  • Pope Francis
  • Palestine
  • Gaza
War on Gaza

War on Gaza

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS