Israel flogs Vatican after Nobel laureate alleges genocide at church event

Israel’s embassy to the Holy See is protesting after a Yemeni Nobel Prize winner accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza during an event hosted by the Vatican.

The embassy says it felt “indignation and shock” over the comments from rights activist Tawakkol Karman made on Saturday evening during a conference organized by the Fratelli Tutti Foundation created by Pope Francis.

Karman, who won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her role in the Arab Spring protests, told an audience in the atrium of St. Peter’s Basilica: “The world is silent in front of the genocide and the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

In an open letter posted on X on Monday, the Israeli embassy rejects Karman’s accusations as “lies.”

“The site was contaminated by a flagrantly anti-Semitic speech,” it says.

“We regret that such a speech was pronounced without anyone feeling the moral duty to intervene to stop this disgrace,” it adds.

After mentioning Gaza, Karman got a loud round of applause from the audience, which was made up of fellow Nobel prize laureates, politicians and church officials. The pope himself was not present.