Editorial Board
WSJ, Nov. 19, 2024
“The complicated papal history with the Nazis during World War II should give the Vatican reason to be careful making anti-Israel pronouncements.”
Pope Francis has written a new book to mark the 2025 jubilee. In an excerpt from “Hope Never Disappoints” that has generated headlines, he proposes a “careful investigation” by international experts into whether Israel’s actions in Gaza meet “the technical definition” of genocide.
But don’t kid yourself. What matters here is not the prospect of some authoritative finding by a respected international body. With this call, the pope has taken a side in the Hamas-Israel war. The headlines all have “pope,” “Israel,” and “genocide” in them—a great victory for anti-Israel forces.
Last December, South Africa accused Israel of violating the Genocide Convention in a case filed at the International Court of Justice. In January the court ordered Israel not to commit genocidal acts, which it wasn’t committing by any reasonable definition under the laws of war. It has yet to rule on whether genocide has occurred in Gaza. … [To read the full article, click here]