Pope condemns increasing ‘death spiral’ in Israel, West Bank

Pope Francis on Sunday condemned rising violence in the Middle East, calling on both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to engage in a “sincere search for peace.”

“The death spiral that increases day by day only closes the few glimmers of trust that exist between the two peoples,” said the pope following his traditional Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.

The pontiff’s comments came after a pair of terror shootings in Jerusalem over the weekend, including one that left seven civilians dead, and a rise in deadly clashes in the West Bank that has left 32 Palestinians dead since the start of the year, many of them gunmen but also several uninvolved civilians.

“Since the beginning of the year, dozens of Palestinians have been killed in clashes with the Israeli army,” said the pope.

“I appeal to the two governments and the international community to find other ways without delay, including dialogue and the sincere search for peace,” the pontiff said.

“It is with great sorrow that I learn of the news coming from the Holy Land,” he said.