Vatican City, Jan 6, 2009 / 08:35 am
Following the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square today, Pope Benedict XVI called on Israelis and Palestinians to find a way to establish dialogue and bring an end to the military confrontation engulfing the Gaza Strip.
"The dramatic news coming out of Gaza shows how rejecting dialogue leads to unspeakable situations that make the populations once again victims of hatred and war," said the Holy Father.
"War and hatred are not solutions to our problems," he added.
Pope Benedict urged everyone to pray to the baby Jesus in the manger and ask him to "inspire the authorities and those responsible for the two sides, Israeli and Palestinian, to immediate action to end the current tragic situation."