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NBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Pope calls for end to 'barbarity' after deadly Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church
The church was watched over closely by the late Pope Francis, who spoke daily with its parish priest and once gifted his popemobile to the children there. In a rare and risky visit to Gaza — largely sealed off from foreign officials — Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, led a delegation into the territory on Friday to show their support. Video footage captured their arrival at the church, greeted by cheers and ringing bells. 'On behalf of all the Christians of our land, all the churches all over the world are united with us in this moment,' said Pizzaballa, who also led Sunday morning mass at the church. President Donald Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the strike. White House spokesperson Tammy Bruce said it was an understatement to say Trump was not happy with Netanyahu during the call, adding that the U.S. had asked Israel to investigate the strike and 'ensure that all civilians, including Christian civilians, remain safe.' "Everyone is appalled," she said. On Friday, staunch Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced a bill to strip $500 million in U.S. military funding to Israel, a measure that was overwhelmingly rejected but marked a rare rebuke. Netanyahu said that Israel 'deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza's Holy Family Church" and called Pope Leo on Friday night. The Israel Defense Forces said it was reviewing the incident. Israel's Foreign Ministry said the results of the investigation would be published. Bruce called the prime minister's response 'an appropriate start' and reiterated Israel's framing of the strike as an accident. But admissions of regret have not satisfied the grieving Catholic community, which has amplified its calls for a ceasefire. The Jerusalem branch of the Vatican's Caritas federation named two of the dead as Saad Salameh, 60, the church's janitor, and Fumayya Ayyad, 84, who had been sitting inside a Caritas psychosocial support tent when the blast sent shrapnel and debris flying. The pope named the other as Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called for peace and an 'immediate ceasefire' following the strike, echoing Pope Leo and renewing calls made so often under Francis. 'With the Holy Father, the Catholic bishops of the United States are deeply saddened to learn about the deaths and injuries at Holy Family Church in Gaza caused by a military strike,' Broglio said in a statement. "May there be peace in Gaza." Pax Christi International, a Christian peace organization, condemned the strike, and called for "an immediate and permanent ceasefire." Yet while those calls may have intensified in the wake of the attack, there was little sign of one this weekend. Since Pizzaballa visited the Holy Family Church on Friday, Israeli air strikes had killed more than 100 people in Gaza, according to local health authorities. On Sunday, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders that suggested its ground offensive may be about to extend into new areas at the heart of the enclave, while the United Nations said that civilians were starving and in urgent need of aid. Pizzaballa, closer to the carnage than most foreigners have managed since the current conflict began, once again called for peace. "Churches all over the world, especially the church in the Holy Land, the Greek Orthodox, and all the churches, will never abandon and neglect you," he said, addressing the church. 'We are working in the diplomatic world in order for a ceasefire, to stop this war, this tragedy,' he said.


The Hill
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump thanks Jeb Bush for calling Iran strike ‘watershed moment'
President Trump thanked former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.) for commending him on the United States' strikes in Iran. Bush issued a Sunday statement after B-2 bombers tanked three of Tehran's nuclear sites, lauding the president's decision to intervene in the Middle East. 'President Trump's decision to neutralize Iran's regime's nuclear program is a watershed moment—one that reasserts American strength, restores deterrence, and sends an unmistakable message to rogue regimes: the era of impunity is over. Where others delayed and wavered, President Trump acted,' Bush said in a release published by the United Against Nuclear Iran non-profit. The former Florida governor said the move was an 'act of courage, clarity, and historical necessity' and hammered down former President Clinton's pledge to ensure Iran will never possess a nuclear weapon. 'Thank you to Jeb Bush — Very much appreciated!' Trump wrote in a Tuesday Truth Social post in response to Bush. GOP leaders backed Trump's intervention with fervor, arguing that it improved public safety for the country and the Western world. 'The President's decisive action prevents the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, which chants 'Death to America,' from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet,' House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote in a statement on X. 'This is America First policy in action. God bless our brave men and women in uniform – the most lethal fighting force on the planet – as we pray for their safe return home. May God bless America.' However, others urged the president to remain neutral in the foreign war. 'Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war. There would not be bombs falling on the people of Israel if Netanyahu had not dropped bombs on the people of Iran first,' Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) wrote in a Sunday statement on X. 'Israel is a nuclear armed nation. This is not our fight. Peace is the answer.' Although the president didn't share regret for dropping bombs on nuclear facilities, he did cite concerns with Israeli military operations on Tuesday before leaving for the NATO summit in the Hague. Israel and Iran agreed to a 12-hour ceasefire that was ultimately broken. 'We basically — we have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f‑‑‑ they're doing,' Trump told reporters on the South Lawn. In a Truth Social post around the same time, Trump wrote: 'ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!' Trump told reporters at the White House he was going to see if he could 'stop it,' referring to attacks forged in the dead of night by both Iran and Israel despite the ceasefire agreement in place.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House approves pair of resolutions condemning antisemitic attack in Colorado
The House on Monday approved a pair of resolutions condemning the antisemitism attack in Boulder, Co., as the chamber looks to crack down on the spate of incidents targeting Jewish individuals. The first resolution, led by Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), was adopted in a 400-0-2 vote, with just Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) voting 'present.' The second measure, spearheaded by Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.), cleared the chamber in a 280-113-6 vote, with 113 Republicans voting 'no.' 'Antisemitic violence will not be ignored, excused, or tolerated in the United States of America,' Van Drew wrote on X after the vote. While both measures were adopted in a bipartisan fashion, the resolution sponsored by Evans drew Democratic ire. Lawmakers were frustrated that Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), who represents Boulder, was not included as a co-sponsor of the legislation. Some also took issue with the inclusion of details about the suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman's, immigration status. Evans' resolution also said the attack 'demonstrates the dangers of not removing from the country aliens who fail to comply with the terms of their visas,' leaning into the politically polarizing issue of immigration. And it 'expresses gratitude' to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement 'for protecting the homeland.' 'In times like these I would have hoped that my colleagues would be willing to come together to properly honor the victims, to condemn antisemitism as I have said and as our resolution does. It's not hard to do the right thing, Mr. Speaker,' Neguse said on the House floor. 'And the question that Mr. Evans should answer is why? Why not join his two other Republican colleagues in Colorado and join the bipartisan resolution that thanks the Boulder Police Department, that thanks the FBI? The purpose of these resolutions is to unite the congress, not divide it.' Neguse and other members of the Colorado congressional delegation — including two Republicans — introduced their own resolution condemning the attack last week. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said the Evans resolution was 'not a serious effort.' 'Who is this guy? He's not seriously concerned with combating antisemitism in America,' Jeffries said. 'This is not a serious effort. This guy is going to be a one-term member of Congress. He's a complete and total embarrassment.' Soliman was charged with 118 counts of attempted murder after he threw Molotov cocktails at a group of people who were gathered peacefully and calling for the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas amid the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. He was also charged with a federal hate crime after acknowledging that he planned the attack for a year and said he 'walked to kill all Zionist people.' In a statement on X after the vote, Greene said she voted 'present' on Van Drew's resolution because Congress has not condemned hate crimes against other groups of Americans. 'Antisemitic hate crimes are wrong, but so are all hate crimes. Yet Congress never votes on hate crimes committed against white people, Christians, men, the homeless, or countless others,' Greene wrote. 'Tonight, the House passed two more antisemitism-related resolutions, the 20th and 21st I've voted on since taking office. Meanwhile, Americans from every background are being murdered — even in the womb — and Congress stays silent. We don't vote on endless resolutions defending them.' 'Prioritizing one group of Americans and/or one foreign country above our own people is fueling resentment and actually driving more division, including antisemitism,' she added. 'These crimes are horrific and easy for me to denounce. But because of the reasons I stated above, I voted present.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


The Hill
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
House approves pair of resolutions condemning antisemitic attack in Colorado
The House on Monday approved a pair of resolutions condemning the antisemitism attack in Boulder, Co., as the chamber looks to crack down on the spate of incidents targeting Jewish individuals. The first resolution, led by Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), was adopted in a 400-0-2 vote, with just Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) voting 'present.' The second measure, spearheaded by Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.), cleared the chamber in a 280-113-6 vote, with 113 Republicans voting 'no.' 'Antisemitic violence will not be ignored, excused, or tolerated in the United States of America,' Van Drew wrote on X after the vote. While both measures were adopted in a bipartisan fashion, the resolution sponsored by Evans drew Democratic ire. Lawmakers were frustrated that Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), who represents Boulder, was not included as a co-sponsor of the legislation. Some also took issue with the inclusion of details about the suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman's, immigration status. Evans' resolution also said the attack 'demonstrates the dangers of not removing from the country aliens who fail to comply with the terms of their visas,' leaning into the politically polarizing issue of immigration. And it 'expresses gratitude' to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement 'for protecting the homeland.' 'In times like these I would have hoped that my colleagues would be willing to come together to properly honor the victims, to condemn antisemitism as I have said and as our resolution does. It's not hard to do the right thing, Mr. Speaker,' Neguse said on the House floor. 'And the question that Mr. Evans should answer is why? Why not join his two other Republican colleagues in Colorado and join the bipartisan resolution that thanks the Boulder Police Department, that thanks the FBI? The purpose of these resolutions is to unite the congress, not divide it.' Neguse and other members of the Colorado congressional delegation — including two Republicans — introduced their own resolution condemning the attack last week. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said the Evans resolution was 'not a serious effort.' 'Who is this guy? He's not seriously concerned with combating antisemitism in America,' Jeffries said. 'This is not a serious effort. This guy is going to be a one-term member of Congress. He's a complete and total embarrassment.' Soliman was charged with 118 counts of attempted murder after he threw Molotov cocktails at a group of people who were gathered peacefully and calling for the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas amid the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. He was also charged with a federal hate crime after acknowledging that he planned the attack for a year and said he 'walked to kill all Zionist people.' In a statement on X after the vote, Greene said she voted 'present' on Van Drew's resolution because Congress has not condemned hate crimes against other groups of Americans. 'Antisemitic hate crimes are wrong, but so are all hate crimes. Yet Congress never votes on hate crimes committed against white people, Christians, men, the homeless, or countless others,' Greene wrote. 'Tonight, the House passed two more antisemitism-related resolutions, the 20th and 21st I've voted on since taking office. Meanwhile, Americans from every background are being murdered — even in the womb — and Congress stays silent. We don't vote on endless resolutions defending them.' 'Prioritizing one group of Americans and/or one foreign country above our own people is fueling resentment and actually driving more division, including antisemitism,' she added. 'These crimes are horrific and easy for me to denounce. But because of the reasons I stated above, I voted present.'
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greene attacks Ocasio-Cortez: ‘This is a woman that has really no life experience'
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) slammed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) as a 'woman that has really no life experience.' Greene levied the attack on Ocasio-Cortez, who has positioned herself as a leading voice for the Democratic Party as its voters grow more frustrated with the Trump administration, during an appearance Tuesday on 'The Eric Bolling Show.' 'This is a woman, she's never been married, she has no children, she's never had a job other than working in a bar, and that was short term for what we understand, she's never run a business,' Greene said. 'This is a woman that has really no life experience and has no life wisdom because she's never done any of those things.' 'This is why no one will take her serious as a presidential candidate,' she added. Greene and Ocasio-Cortez have long traded insults in the House. The Georgia Republican's most recent comments come as the New York Democrat has joined Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on a speaking tour across the country and as her name has been floated as someone who could challenge Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in his next primary. As a young progressive, Ocasio-Cortez has been looked to by many Democrats as someone who someday could lead. She was elected in 2018 and assumed office at the age of 29, making her the youngest woman to ever serve in Congress. Ocasio-Cortez has built a large online following of millennial and Generation Z fans, who have taken to her outspoken nature both in Congress and on social media. Ocasio-Cortez is largely quiet about her personal life, but she got engaged to Riley Roberts in 2022. Greene's husband, with whom she has three children, filed for divorce in 2022. Before Greene ran for office, she and her husband owned a construction company. The Hill has reached out to Ocasio-Cortez's office for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.