JAKARTA - A minister in Israeli rule criticized Pope Francis for asking the international community to study whether Israeli military attacks in Gaza constitute genocide against the Palestinian people.
In an open letter published by Italian newspaper Il Foglio, Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amicai Chikli questioned Pope's statement about the term genocide.
"As a society that lost six million sons and daughters in the Holocaust, we are very sensitive to the misuse of the term genocide which is almost similar to Holocaust denial," Chikli wrote.
Chikli, who ended his letter calling Pope Francis a good friend of Jews, asked the Pope to clarify his position on the new accusations of genocide against the Jewish state.
The Vatican did not immediately respond to a request for response regarding the letter.
Israel says allegations of genocide in Gaza are baseless and only hunt down Hamas militants and other Palestinian armed groups.
The Pope, as leader of the 1.4 billion Roman Catholic Church, is usually cautious in favor of conflict, but has recently been outspoken about Israel's military campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas.
In a book quote published by the Italian daily La Stampa, the Pope said some international experts said "what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of genocide".
"We must carefully investigate whether this is in accordance with the technical definition (genocide) formulated by international law experts and organizations," the Pope said.
Authorities in the Gaza Strip say more than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 107,000 injured in Israeli attacks, and most of the 2 million people in the enclave have lost their homes or become refugees.
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