On Thursday at the Vatican, Israeli and Palestinian leaders presented a vision for peace to Pope Francis. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser al-Kidwa presented a peace proposal to end the ongoing war in their countries.
vatican city
Vatican City, Friday, October 18, 2024 (REI, Vatican Radio): On Thursday at the Vatican, Israeli and Palestinian leaders presented a vision of peace to Pope Francis. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser al-Kidwa presented a peace proposal to end the ongoing war in their countries.
Israeli and Palestinian leaders
“This was an important and emotional meeting,” Ehud Olmert said after Pope Francis welcomed Nasser al-Kidwa and a delegation of peace activists to the Vatican on Thursday. Pope Francis has made an extraordinary contribution to peace efforts in the Middle East. “He showed interest.”
Olmert was Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009 and before that, Cabinet Minister and Mayor of Jerusalem. Nasser al-Kidwa, who was foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority from 2005 to 2006, also participated in the meeting.
Speaking to Vatican media after the meeting, Olmert and al-Kidwa said they presented the Pope with a peace proposal for Gaza.
Olmert was Israeli Prime Minister at the time of the signing of the ceasefire during the Lebanon War in 2006. You were behind the last real effort to reach a deal with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to create two states. “Pope Francis paid extraordinary attention to our proposal for more than half an hour and explained that he was following the development of the conflict every day and was in daily contact with Christians in Gaza,” he said.
extraordinary honor
Mr. Olmert said: “It was an extraordinary honor to be received by Pope Francis at the Vatican and we could sense that he was focused on the message we wanted to convey, which is that the Gaza war must end in the US, the hostages must be returned to their families, Israel must completely withdraw from Gaza, and Israelis and Palestinians must immediately begin negotiations for a comprehensive peace on a two-state solution.”
He also mentioned the possibility of a special agreement on the status of the ancient city of Jerusalem, which would be under the jurisdiction of a trust of five countries, including Palestine and Israel, which would allow all believers, that is, Christians, Jews and Muslims , practice their respective religions.
Nasser Al-Kidwa
Nasser al-Kidwa, nephew of historic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and former Palestinian Foreign Minister, confirmed Olmert’s statement, saying: “We present to Pope Francis our peace proposal for Gaza, which includes an immediate ceasefire, a fire by Hamas, This includes the release of Israelis still held hostage, as well as the release of Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli prisons, and the resumption of negotiations leading to the creation of two separate states May they live in peace with each other.
He said: “As a team, and certainly, in our mission to end the war and achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians as two states living together in peace based on the 1967 borders, it was extremely important for Pope Francis to interact together.” .
Nasser al-Kidwa said: “I believe that the Holy Father will bless this plan and our actions, which will undoubtedly make a big difference in the situation.”
