Israel slams Vatican official for comparing Gaza to “concentration camp”

Mod Edit - title changed to actual AFP Press headline
Israel slams Vatican official for comparing Gaza to “concentration camp”

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(AFP) -- Israel on Wednesday slammed a senior Vatican official for comparing the Gaza Strip to a "concentration camp," saying the comments were "based on Hamas propaganda."

"Making remarks that seem to be based on Hamas propaganda while ignoring its numerous crimes ... does not bring the people closer to truth and peace," foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP.

Cardinal Renato Martino, the Vatican's justice and peace minister, was quoted by the online Italian daily Il Sussidiario as saying the conditions in Gaza "increasingly resemble a big concentration camp."

On Tuesday Pope Benedict XVI said he wanted to encourage efforts to get Israelis and Palestinians to sit down together in peace talks over the Gaza conflict. Benedict was speaking to pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter's Square.

The pope said he was following the news of the armed clashes in Gaza with "strong worry." He repeated his warning that hate and rejection of dialogue only lead to war.

Benedict added he is encouraging all efforts and initiatives by those who want peace, and who are trying to help Israelis and Palestinians to sit down and talk. The Vatican has said the pope would like to go the Holy Land on a pilgrimage this spring, but no concrete plans have been made."

[edit on 8 Jan 2009 by neformore]

"Vatican's justice and peace minister" is now a Hamas propagandist according to Israel. What chutzpah, what hypocrisy! It is time for Israel to come clean and admit everything and say tough.

The denials, excuses and lies are compounding the problem of Israel's war. More and more people are getting riled around the world and I think it is the obvious deceptions that is making problems for Israel.

reply to post by masonwatcher


Well the Vatican would know what a Nazi Death camp looks like being they have millions of pages of documents and photos from the time of Hitler. They where sued last year by a Jewish foundation and ordered to release the papers to the foundation at once. They have since asked for a SEVEN year time frame to go through the papers before release, it was granted of course.

the title is rather misleading to put it mildly

concentration camp

thats the words used not death camp.

Originally posted by Harlequin
the title is rather misleading to put it mildly

concentration camp

thats the words used not death camp.

did he say death camp? He meant happy camp where the prisoners receive the finest medical care!


ok, bad south park humor.

Originally posted by xoxo stacie
reply to post by masonwatcher

 

Well the Vatican would know what a Nazi Death camp looks like being they have millions of pages of documents and photos from the time of Hitler. They where sued last year by a Jewish foundation and ordered to release the papers to the foundation at once. They have since asked for a SEVEN year time frame to go through the papers before release, it was granted of course.

Has the Vatican been sued by "a Jewish foundation"? Never heard of that. Why not apply for access since it is the Church's own paperwork.

Maybe it is just that, an application was made and the vatican said that they will release documents in seven years as you said. had it been a court decision that was dealing with a suit, access would be instant.

The Vatican, being very shrewd probably knows that it is best to inspect and log all its documents before allowing the public have their paws all over it.

You know some enterprising young historian might slip in some illicit documents and announce to the world he has discovered priest involvement in nazim and such.

Then we will have a bandwagon of lawyers turn up and start suing everyone else.

Can you provide a link to the 'Jewish Foundation' suing the Vatican?

Hmm, let's see. Israel has all the borders blocked, so no one can escape, except the southern border with Egypt, which Egypt, in cooperation with Israel, by pact, has sealed the southern border, so no one can escape. Israel completely controls what goods are "allowed" into Gaza, Israel has soldiers in Gaza, roaming the streets, and shooting or bombing anything that looks threatening, like a building with 110 civilians, that were herded into it, by Israeli soldiers 24 hours earlier. Israeli copters and planes overfly Gaza continuously, bombing at will. They blockade all ships from the western sea border.

No, I wouldn't say it's a concentration camp, it's more like the Warsaw Ghetto during WWI.

edited for typo

[edit on 11-1-2009 by ProfEmeritus]