Bethlehem pastor criticises world leaders for ignoring Pope Francis' Gaza plea

A Bethlehem pastor has slammed the "hypocrisy" of world leaders over their tributes to the late Pope Francis, which failed to acknowledge the plight of Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza as well as the "worst ever" Easter weekend Palestinian Christians experienced in recent memory.

"This Easter, in terms of Israel's actions in East Jerusalem, it has been the worst ever," Reverend Munther Isaac, a Christian pastor and theologian, told MEE Live. "It seems that it's getting worse every year."

The pastor appeared on MEE Live to discuss the legacy of Pope Francis, whose death on Easter Monday concluded a weekend marred by air strikes on Gaza, settler violence in the occupied West Bank, and the barring of Palestinian worshippers from holy sites in Jerusalem.

"We should not just accept the annexation of East Jerusalem as status quo," Isaac said, citing Israel's decision to block thousands of Palestinian Christians from attending services in Jerusalem's Old City.

"It's really hard to understand this oppression, this violence against people who just wanted to go to church," Isaac said.

"The goal is clear. Israel wants to strengthen their control over the Old City of Jerusalem, including the holy sites, to give Jerusalem only and exclusively a Jewish identity, rather than what we all hope for - Jerusalem to be a city shared by three religions and two people, in equality and respect for one another. What Israel is doing is really despicable, and I hope the world pays attention."

His comments came as world leaders of all stripes paid tribute to Pope Francis but failed to acknowledge his final call which pushed for an end to the war in Gaza.

"We will hear today, tomorrow, the coming week, words of tribute for Pope Francis from world leaders, from politicians," Isaac said. "All of these words, in my opinion, just leak hypocrisy." 

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While he was alive, Pope Francis called the Holy Family Church in Gaza City almost every day, to check in on the wellbeing of his flock in the devastated enclave.

But since his death, most world leaders have refrained from acknowledging his legacy.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described Francis as "a pope for the poor, the downtrodden and the forgotten", while King Charles said the pontiff had "profoundly touched the lives of many".

"Had they been genuine," Isaac said, "they would follow his example. They would call not just for a ceasefire, but for accountability."

In November, Pope Francis called for an investigation into whether Israel's campaign in Gaza constituted a genocide of the Palestinian people.

"According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide," he wrote in his book, Hope Does Not Disappoint.

"It should be carefully investigated to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists or international bodies."

The book was published days before the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of a range of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Days before the ICC issued its arrest warrants, a UN special committee report accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war, and policies and practices in Gaza that may amount to a "possibility of genocide".

'Killing children is not the way forward'

In the interview, Isaac also criticised hypocrisy in the media coverage of Francis’ legacy, recalling a moment in 2014 when the pope made global headlines by stopping to pray at the wall partitioning Israel from the West Bank.

"There's so much about the hypocrisy behind those who shared that story, yet forgot about the situation, the occupation, the suffering of Palestinians the moment the pope left.

"Everyone stopped, everyone took a picture, everyone spoke about the moment he touched the wall. But then he left, and it went all to the same way of covering - or even ignoring - what's happening in Palestine."

But for Palestinian Christians, the pastor said, Pope Francis’ solidarity would live on.

"He touched more than just the wall. He touched the ugliness of apartheid. And more so, he touched our hearts, showing us that he saw through our pain and suffering."

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Pope Francis' solidarity with Palestinians has led to criticism, and even celebration of his death, from inside Israel, where the government deleted its own social media post offering condolences for the 88-year-old’s death.

Others have explicitly accused the Pope of “antisemitism”. Zvika Klein, editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, claimed the pontiff had shown of “unconditional support for Hamas”.

"It is shameful, truly shameful," Isaac said. "It's shameful that accusations of antisemitism continue to be weaponised, even in an attempt to tarnish the reputation of a great man like Pope Francis.

"He's not for one people group against the other. He's for humanity, he's for justice, and he's against war.

"And he clearly understood that killing children is not the way forward."

Since the start of the war in October 2023, Israel has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and turned much of the enclave into an uninhabitable hellscape.

Entire families and neighbourhoods have been erased, with schools and hospitals repeatedly devastated by air strikes and tank fire. 

Since resuming its offensive after reneging on a ceasefire deal on 2 March, Israel, which is heavily backed by the US, UK and other western powers, has refused to allow lifesaving supplies, including food, medicine, fuel and cooking oil, to enter the strip.

Earlier this month, the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organisations Network (PNGO) warned that the situation in Gaza had reached an "advanced stage of famine", exacerbated by the bombing of food warehouses, water desalination plants, and the shutdown of community kitchens.