Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem says extremism gaining ground in Israeli society amid Gaza war

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa has warned that extremism is increasingly gaining traction within parts of Israeli society amid the Gaza conflict, saying a growing “culture of contempt” toward Arabs and non-Jews is becoming amplified by media narratives.

Speaking in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Pizzaballa said the atmosphere created after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza contributed to the rise of extremist rhetoric.

“Unfortunately extremism is gaining traction in this context,” the cardinal said. “We are seeing its consequences in certain sectors of Israeli civil society. Not everyone, of course, I would say it is not the majority.”

“But the culture of contempt for everything that is not theirs, not only for everything Arab but for everything that is not Jewish, is unfortunately growing,” he added.

Calling the trend deeply troubling, Pizzaballa warned that such attitudes were increasingly visible in public discourse.

“It is a diseased germ within a society, amplified by the media, and something we must work to contain before it becomes truly alarming,” he said.

The patriarch said the region’s worsening violence reflected a broader failure of political leadership and dialogue.

“The gravity of the situation in the Middle East, and obviously not only there, must be addressed within the framework of international legality and without adding more victims,” he said.

Pizzaballa also referred to war as a “new idolatry,” saying political actors increasingly resort to military confrontation instead of negotiations.

He added that after Oct. 7 and the war that followed, many people now believe “dialogue counts for nothing.”

“After Oct. 7 and everything that followed, it seems dialogue counts for nothing, and that those with money and power can do whatever they want,” he said.

Asked whether he still believed in the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, Pizzaballa said: “Yes and no."

“And I realize that although I am a Franciscan, I am responding like a Jesuit," he added.

He explained that “from a practical point of view” the establishment of two states currently appears impossible because “there is no territorial continuity.”

Still, he insisted Palestinians could not be denied their aspirations for statehood and dignity.

“You cannot tell Palestinians they have no right to a future in their own home,” he said. “You cannot take away from them, at the very least, that desire.”

The cardinal also condemned the use of religion to justify violence, calling it “the gravest sin one can commit.”

“You cannot use the name of God to justify violence,” he said, warning that religious narratives should not be monopolized by extremists.