Foreign Affairs

Eugene

(61,894 posts) Mon Jan 8, 2024, 02:38 PM Jan 2024

'Indiscriminately striking' civilians is war crime, pope says in major speech

Source: Reuters

'Indiscriminately striking' civilians is war crime, pope says in major speech

By Philip Pullella
January 8, 2024 10:18 AM EST Updated 2 hours ago

VATICAN CITY, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, tackling conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine in his yearly address to diplomats, said on Monday that "indiscriminately striking" civilians is a war crime because it violates international humanitarian law.

Francis, 87, made his comments in a 45-minute address to Vatican-accredited envoys from 184 countries that is sometimes called his "state of the world" speech.

In it, he also talked about conflicts in Africa and Asia, migration crises in the United States and Latin America, climate change and the persecution of Christians.

Expressing concern that the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip could spread in the wider Middle East, he called for a "ceasefire on every front, including Lebanon"

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/indiscriminately-striking-civilians-is-war-crime-pope-says-major-speech-2024-01-08/

Alternate no-paywall link: https://news.yahoo.com/indiscriminately-striking-civilians-war-crime-104639681.html

4 replies

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'Indiscriminately striking' civilians is war crime, pope says in major speech (Original Post) Eugene Jan 2024 OP

But, but, but..... claudette Jan 2024 #1

again, all you need to do is convince Hamas to gather in the Negev desert lapfog_1 Jan 2024 #2

As mentioned in the 5th paragraph at the link, the Pope condemned the Oct. 7 massacre. Eugene Jan 2024 #3

not talking about the Pope, but the people here in the US that are either lapfog_1 Jan 2024 #4

claudette

(3,567 posts)

1. But, but, but.....

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jan 8, 2024, 02:46 PM

Jan 2024

lapfog_1

(29,204 posts)

2. again, all you need to do is convince Hamas to gather in the Negev desert

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jan 8, 2024, 02:53 PM

Jan 2024

with all their weapons and the 30,000 or 25,000 members and face off with the IDF.

No more civilians will die.

But they won't do that. And the Anti-Israel side will tell me "that's insane, laughable" and make more excuses why Hamas must hide in tunnels (well stocked with food, water, medicine ) underneath the 2 million civilians they claim to represent.

And never ever blame Hamas for the breaking of the cease fire on Oct 7th and resulting war.

Eugene

(61,894 posts)

3. As mentioned in the 5th paragraph at the link, the Pope condemned the Oct. 7 massacre.

Reply to lapfog_1 (Reply #2)

Mon Jan 8, 2024, 02:56 PM

Jan 2024

lapfog_1

(29,204 posts)

4. not talking about the Pope, but the people here in the US that are either

Reply to Eugene (Reply #3)

Mon Jan 8, 2024, 02:59 PM

Jan 2024

pro-Palestinian or even pro-Hamas.

It is good that the Pope is against killing on both sides... but one sort of expects that would be the case.

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