Pope meets Mahmoud Abbas. Fr Faltas thinks an Israel-Hamas deal is possible before Christmas
This morning the Holy Father met with the president of the Palestinian National Authority for half an hour, the first time in three years. A Vatican press release underlines the “very serious humanitarian situation in Gaza". For the vicar of the Custody, prospects for a ceasefire and a celebration of peace are “very different from last year," even if "great concern" remains for Lebanon and Syria.
Rome (AsiaNews) – “Within a week, before Christmas, I believe there will be a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. This is my assessment,” said Fr Ibrahim Faltas, vicar general of the Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem, speaking to AsiaNews at the end of today's meeting between Pope Francis and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
The Egyptian Franciscan was part of the delegation that accompanied the Palestinian leader to Rome, but he “did not personally attend" the meetings. In his view, the current situation with the prospect of a truce will allow us to celebrate a holiday "very different from last year. A Christmas of hope".
The audience with the pontiff and the meeting with the Secretary of State Card Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, were strictly private.
“In this situation, this was a very important meeting, the result of good relations. The pope loves Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas’s other name), and the same goes for the Palestinian president, because he (Francis) has never stopped being close to the Palestinian cause.”
Abbas “was very happy with the meeting with the pope, and with the one that followed, with Card Parolin, because he has great confidence in the Vatican and in the role that the [the Holy See] can play in reaching a ceasefire.”
“During the cordial talks, which took place at the Secretariat of State, reference was made to the good bilateral relations, highlighting the important contribution of the Catholic Church to Palestinian society,” reads a press release by the Holy See Press Office.
The Holy See has made an even more significant contribution “in helping the very serious humanitarian situation in Gaza, where it is hoped that there will be a ceasefire and the release of all hostages as soon as possible.”
The press release goes on to reiterate "the condemnation of all forms of terrorism,” stressing “the importance of reaching the solution for the two states only through dialogue and diplomacy [. . .], ensuring that Jerusalem, protected by a special status, can be a place of encounter and friendship between the three great monotheistic religions.”
It ends by saying, “hope was expressed that the Jubilee of 2025 may lead to the return of pilgrims in the Holy Land, which longs so much for peace.”
After the Palestinian leader, the pope will meet tomorrow with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, a sign of the intense diplomatic activity undertaken by the Holy See for some time.
The tête-à-tête between the Palestinian leader and the pontiff, the first in three years, lasted a half hour. In a statement after the meeting, Abbas said that he thanked the pope “for his positions in support of achieving a just peace in Palestine based on the two-state solution.”
Recent diplomatic activity by the Holy See is meant to support and strengthen the path of peace in a Middle East brutalised by wars and violence, and encourage talks between the parties.
Broadening his reflection to the situation in the Middle East, the vicar general of the Custody of the Holy Land expressed his "great concern" for both Lebanon and neighbouring Syria, where the Assad regime suddenly collapsed last Sunday, with the flight of its top leaders.
Here too, he hopes a solution can be reached through dialogue rather than weapons, which have already caused too many victims across the region.
“I hope for a real agreement before Christmas to celebrate the ceasefire as well. [Yasser] Arafat declared Christmas a national holiday for everyone, not only for Christians but for Muslims as well as Jews, who celebrate the Feast of Light (Hanukkah). It must be a celebration of peace for everyone.”
Meanwhile, the international community remains focused on the evolving situation in Syria, where rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad and are working on a transitional cabinet, while several countries are trying to establish relations with the new leaders.
In Gaza the war continues with Israel continuing its attacks, with another 35 people killed in the last few hours, bringing the total death toll close to 45,000 since 7 October 2023, plus over 106,000 wounded.
At the UN General Assembly, a new vote for an immediate ceasefire will likely be of little use, even though Hamas, according to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal, appears ready to accept the presence of Israeli troops in Gaza during the truce.
At the same time, the Palestinian group reportedly provided mediators with a list of hostages, including US citizens, ready to be released: up to 30 prisoners during a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of Palestinians held by Israel and more humanitarian aid in Gaza.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials in Jerusalem.
For the administration of outgoing President Joe Biden, this will be one of the last – if not the last – effort to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas, and get talks on the hostages going.
Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, Mossad chief David Barnea and the Israeli government's point man for the hostage issue, Gal Hirsch, were present at the meeting.
Sullivan is expected to travel to Qatar and Egypt, the two Arab countries that, together with the United States, are playing the role of mediators between Israel and Hamas.
Finally, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Jordan today to meet King Abdullah II to discuss the hostages and the peaceful transition in Syria,
This will be followed by a stop in Turkey, where meetings are scheduled with Turkish leaders to secure a truce in Gaza and stability in Damascus.
(Photo Vatican Media)
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