‘So much cruelty’ in Gaza: Pope Francis and Israeli minister get into ugly spat

JERUSALEM – Pope Francis and Israel’s Minister of Diaspora and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli entered into a war of words over the weekend as the lawmaker bristled publicly at certain insinuations emanating from the pontiff.

For the second time in as many days, the pope condemned Israeli airstrikes in Gaza as “cruelty,” while Israel accused him of “double standards.”

“And with pain, I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals. What cruelty,” the pope said after his weekly Angelus prayer.

It was unclear if the pope was responding to a specific incident, but the IDF has long-claimed it targets terrorists, who do not wear identifying uniforms hiding among the civilian population. It also belies Hamas’ own stated aim of engendering as much misery as possible among the populace it governs, precisely to garner support of the West and global figures, such as the pope.

The pope’s stances proved too much for Chikli, who was particularly irked by the picture of Francis in a wheelchair seated next to a Nativity scene, where the baby Jesus is swaddled in a keffiyeh – a clear reference to the modern ahistorical nonsense of his being a “Palestinian.” Chikli posted an open letter to the pope, in which he outlined some historical truths.

“Shalom, It is a well-known fact that Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem, as described in Chapter 2 of the Gospel according to Matthew: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king … ”

Bethlehem is the same city where Rachel, our matriarch, died giving birth to Benjamin,” Chikli wrote.

“It is also the same city in the northern part of the territory of the Tribe of Judah, where David, son of Jesse from Bethlehem, was born.

“David became the King of Israel, making Jerusalem its capital and building the altar on Mount Moriah, upon which Solomon, his son, later built the Temple,” he added.

It is a well-known fact that Jesus was born to a Jewish mother, lived as a Jew, and died as a Jew.

It is also a well-known fact that the term “Jew” originates from Judah, the fourth son of Leah, from whom the Tribe of Judah descended.

It is a well-known fact that there were… pic.twitter.com/oZWUSZWCp6

— עמיחי שיקלי – Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) December 20, 2024

Chikli mentioned more history, such as the Bar Kochba Revolt between A.D. 132-135, which the Romans brutally put down. He said, “Hadrian was not satisfied with the physical destruction of the Jewish settlement; he anticipated the future, to the day when the Jews would seek to return to Judea. Therefore, he renamed the province of Judea to “Syria Palaestina,” after the Philistines, the arch-enemy of Israel. The name of Jerusalem was also changed to “Aelia Capitolina,” removing the ancient, historical name of the Jewish people. And, Jews were prohibited from visiting or settling in their holiest city.”

The Israeli lawmaker had another zinger in store when he reminded the pontiff that on the Arch of Titus, but a few minutes walk from St. Peter’s, there is a famous engraving of Roman soldiers carrying the spoils of war – including the menorah which stood in the Temple – back to Rome after the sack of Jerusalem.

Despite his criticism of the pope, Chikli ended his missive with an acknowledgement of how far inter Catholic-Jewish relations had come since the Second Vatican Council, and the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Nostra Aetate.

“We know you are a close friend of the Jewish people; Just this past year, you met with families of hostages, injured soldiers, rabbis, and Jewish leaders from around the world. We appreciate these efforts and seek to deepen the relationship between the Vatican and the State of Israel as well as between the Christian and Jewish People. Your guidance, actions, and leadership have tremendous influence across the world. This is why I kindly ask you to clarify your stand regarding the genocide blood libel against the Jewish state.”