Palestine

by Dario Salvi | ISRAEL – PALESTINE

This morning, a delegation led by Cardinal Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilus III visited the community that has come to symbolise settler violence. They slammed Israel’s pro-occupation policy, which affects Christians and Muslims alike. Marie-Armelle Beaulieu, a Christian journalist who has been in Jerusalem for 30 years, stressed the "exceptional" nature of an "ecumenical" event outside the Holy City.

 

by Dario Salvi

In a situation that remains “worrying” despite the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, Monsignor Martinelli recalls that “the possibility of dialogue must never be abandoned”. The document on brotherhood is a “response of peace to violence”. Prayer and friendship initiatives at the Abrahamic Family House in the footsteps of St Francis. Places are needed to “experience hope, peace and reconciliation”.

| 25/06/2025
| GULF - ISRAEL - IRAN

Leo XIV has approved the election of the new leader of the Franciscan presence in the Holy Places, following in the footsteps of the saint of Assisi. Italian, 55 years old, the new custos takes over from Francesco Patton who has reached the end of his mandate. For the Minister General of the Friars Minor Massimo Fusarelli, "The particular context of conflict and violence” in the Holy Land and in the Middle East “makes our mission in these places even more urgent.”

| 24/06/2025
| VATICAN – HOLY LAND
by Arundathie Abeysinghe

The Middle East accounts for 25% of total tea exports. And 60% of private remittances come from the 1.5 million migrants working in the region. A 5% drop in orders could cost up to million a year. Attention is focused on the Strait of Hormuz for possible blockades by Tehran.

| 20/06/2025
| SRI LANKA
by Dario Salvi

Speaking to AsiaNews, the activist slams the escalation with Iran. The Gaza War is no longer making headlines, but atrocities continue and the hostage issue remains unsolved. In Israel, normal life has been put on hold as Iranian missiles cause “scenes of destruction”. In this context, it is hard to see what the future has in store, except that “many Israelis would like to leave the country.”

| 19/06/2025
| ISRAEL – IRAN

Four Palestinian women from a family in Tamra are among the people killed by Iranian rockets, members of an extended family engaged in dialogue. Israel’s Arab towns and villages are most exposed because they lack bunkers and safe rooms. Italian Friends of Neve Shalom Wahat al-Salam are outraged that some in Israel “toasted watching rockets fall on Palestinian neighbours”. A group of Israeli and Iranian intellectuals issued a joint appeal for “peace and diplomacy”.

| 16/06/2025
| ISRAEL – IRAN
by Dario Salvi
Even before the start of the Israeli raids and the Iranian reaction, the internet had been down in Gaza City for several days. For the first time since the beginning of the conflict, even the Latin parish of the Holy Family is unable to get news out. There is concern about the humanitarian situation, which remains critical. Fr Ibrahim Faltas: ‘The international community must find a solution to this inhumane situation. Let us continue to pray.’ 

| 14/06/2025
| ISRAEL - IRAN - GAZA
Editor's choices
 
by Dario Salvi
The founder of the Religious Freedom Data Center views settler attacks as a “disturbing development”. Israeli ministers and police legitimising it is worrying. A Judeo-centric ideology has “taken root”, but minority rights are ...
| 10/07/2025
| ISRAEL – PALESTINE
 
In the Upper House elections scheduled for 20 July, the ultra-nationalist party founded by Kamiya Sohei is trailing just behind the Liberal Democrats in the polls, who are at risk of losing their majority. Anti-globalists, opposed to LGBTQ+ rights and ...
| 10/07/2025
| JAPAN
 
According to anonymous sources, the dissident who publicly challenged "dictator Xi Jinping" in October 2022 and inspired the "blank paper" protest against the zero-COVID policy has been tried and convicted. Human rights groups are calling on Beijing ...
| 09/07/2025
| CHINA
 
The 62-year-old missionary in Bangladesh was elected this morning by the General Assembly underway in Rome. For the next six years, he will lead the institute founded by Bishop Angelo Ramazzotti, now present with 400 missionaries in 20 countries around ...
| 07/07/2025
| ITALY
 
by Alessandra De Poli
Four years after the death of the Jesuit who dedicated his life to defending the land rights of India’s indigenous peoples, the Bagaicha centre, which he founded in the State of Jharkhand, continues to fight for the poor. Despite threats and continuous ...
| 05/07/2025
| INDIA
 
An investigation by Finance Uncovered has revealed that almost US$ 40 million from state development funds from the United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark have been invested in a company that operates digital surveillance infrastructure and technologies ...
| 04/07/2025
| MYANMAR
 
In the anniversary of the former British colony's transition to the People's Republic, the Hong Kong Democracy Council takes stock of the repression. Of the 161 convicted, 102 are still serving prison sentences. On 14 August, Jimmy Lai's ...
| 01/07/2025
| HONG KONG
 
by mons. Pierre Suon Hang Ly *
The new coadjutor apostolic vicar of the Cambodian capital, appointed yesterday by Pope Leo, tells AsiaNews about the challenges facing the tiny local Church reborn after the persecution of the Khmer Rouge, who fifty years ago also killed Msgr. Samar, ...
| 29/06/2025
| ECCLESAI IN ASIA
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”