EUP20050826950040 Rome RAI Uno Television Network in Italian 1130 GMT 26 Aug 05

Vatican-Israel row "solved" by Sharon letter, Italian TV reports

Excerpt from report by Italian TV on 26 August

[Presenter] Ties between the State of Israel and the Vatican are friendly once again after Cardinal [Secretary of State] Angelo Sodano was delivered a personal letter by the Israeli premier, [Ariel] Sharon - who considers closed the crisis which erupted after the Pope did not mention Israel among the countries struck by terrorism.

[Reporter] During prayers in Les Combes [Alpine resort where the Pope was on holiday in July], the Pope listed the countries struck by terrorism, and did not mention Israel.

The Apostolic Nuncio [Vatican ambassador] in Jerusalem, [Pietro] Sambi, was summoned by the Foreign Ministry to hear something more than just irritation.

The reply by [the Holy See spokesman Joaquin] Navarro[-Valls] was curt: the Israeli government has distorted in a preposterous manner the words uttered by Benedict XVI. The spokesman added that not all acts of terrorism were condemned because sometimes they were followed by Israeli reactions incompatible with international law. [passage omitted]