Pope Francis Israeli-Palestinian Desak Dialogue After The Bomb Of Jerusalem And Clashes In The West Bank

Pope Francis. (Wikimedia Commons/Paris Orlando)

JAKARTA - Pope Francis on Sunday urged Israeli and Palestinian authorities to make greater efforts to seek dialogue, following a recent deadly bomb attack in Jerusalem and clashes in the occupied West Bank.

Speaking to tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square for Sunday's blessing, Pope Francis said violence "kills the future" for both sides.

Last week, two bombs exploded at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing a 16-year-old boy and injuring at least 14 people in what appeared to be an attack by Palestinian militants. A 50-year-old man died of injuries on Saturday.

Earlier on Tuesday late at night, a 16-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead by Israeli forces during clashes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus.

Pope Francis called the two incidents, assessing Jerusalem's explosion "harass", and said he was concerned about the increase in violence in recent months.

"Violence kills the future, disrupts the youngest lives and weakens hopes for peace. Let's pray for these young people who died and for their families, especially for their mothers," the Pope said.

"I hope the Israeli and Palestinian authorities take the heart to seek dialogue in a bigger way, building mutual trust, without which there will never be a solution to peace in the Holy Land," the Pope hoped.