Patriarch Pizzaballa: Gaza ceasefire more urgent than ever

By Federico Piana and Joseph Tulloch

“A ceasefire in Gaza is more urgent than ever.”

That's the latest appeal for peace launched by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

Speaking to Vatican News' Federico Piana, Patriarch Pizzaballa stressed that a ceasefire is possible: “All that’s missing is the will to make it happen.”

In the course of the interview, the Patriarch also touched on the “fragile” situation of Gaza’s Christians, and the role the Church might play in peace negotiations.

The following transcript has been lightly edited for reasons of clarity.

Patriarch Pizzaballa: This is not the first time we have called for a ceasefire and an end to all fighting in Gaza; we have been doing so continuously since October, along with many other religious authorities, foremost among them the Holy Father. Our latest appeal comes precisely because we are in contact with our population in Gaza; we are aware of how the situation is becoming more and more terrible every day.

Q: Why do you think a ceasefire in Gaza is possible?

The elements for a possible ceasefire have always been there; all that is missing is the will to make it happen. It requires both sides to have the willingness to reach compromises, because it's clear that compromises will have to be made on both sides. It seems to me that at this moment, because Ramadan is approaching, and also because after five months, there is an obvious weariness about the situation, the time is ripe to take a different path.

Q: There has recently been news from Gaza that has shaken the world: this carnage that happened while people were queueing for humanitarian aid. How did you feel when you heard this news? What else can you tell us about what’s happening in Gaza?

My reaction was, like everyone else's, one of great dismay. Dismay for the chaos into which the entire Gaza Strip has fallen, and dismay for the hunger that has spread, especially in the north of the strip. I know personally that the delivery of food and gas to the strip is increasingly difficult, as those images showed. For example, the Christians in the Strip cook only once or twice a week, at most, and what they cook must last for the whole week. This shows the situation we’re in.

Water is scarce, and what is available is not clean, so, even from the perspective of diseases, the situation is increasingly fragile. Medicines are also lacking; practically everything is missing. I think everyone realizes that we cannot go on like this. I have seen that they have started to drop parachutes with food parcels, but other more coordinated, systematic solutions need to be found because, if we continue like this, it will simply be chaos upon chaos.

Q: How is the local Church, which you just mentioned, reacting to the situation? What is the feeling from the perspective of faith: is there hope or not?

There is always hope; there is always the desire for this to end, the hope to be able to return to as normal a life as possible, although I must say that these are putting it to the test. But there is faith.

I see that the Gaza community prays, has faith, and above all tries to organize itself, in order to sustain itself but also in order to help neighboring groups. As long as there is a desire to do something, to organize, to help, all is not lost.

Q: What role does the Church have in diplomatic negotiations? Is there room for it to intervene in this somewhat complex, international situation, and have an impact in some way?

I don't know if the Church can play this role, because these are such big, complex situations where power dynamics are essential, and the Church does not have immediate power. However, I can say that the Church is very present in all communication channels, with all parties, with the task of facilitating understanding among the various parties.

Q: Personally, given this complex, painful, and difficult situation, do you think there’s a possibility for a positive outcome, or are you more pessimistic?

In the short term, I don't think this situation will bring anything positive. But one thing I know for sure is that, after this crisis, which is the most serious in the last 70–80 years, no one will be willing to accept temporary solutions anymore, neither Israelis nor Palestinians.

So, this very serious crisis will clearly force – with dynamics that will need to be defined, which will certainly not be immediate – everyone to find long-term stable solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has already claimed too many lives over the years.

Q: So, to conclude: Is there hope for the two-state solution?

I don't know if we’ll see a two-state solution: it may be two states or another solution, because the two-state solution will not be easy, even though, objectively, it seems the only possible one.

But it is clear that solutions must be found that guarantee stability, freedom, and dignity for both Palestinians and Israelis.

Refugees housed in Gaza's Holy Family parish