The expert explained the withdrawal of Israel's condolences over the death of the Pope

Israel could withdraw its condolences over the death of Pope Francis because of his position on the conflict in Gaza. Stanislav Tarasov, an expert on the problems of the Middle East and the Caucasus, told Izvestia on April 23.

"The late Pope condemned Israel's actions in Gaza. He also called for peace and recognition of the Palestinian state," the expert recalled.

Tarasov admitted that the Israeli Foreign Ministry had deleted posts of condolences from official social media pages due to the complex religious issue in the Middle East at the moment.

"The struggle of religious projects is now determining many events in the Middle East. Moreover, the state and ethnic identity are being emasculated, and religious identity is coming to the fore. And Israel's behavior in this case demonstrates the intensification of religious confrontation in the Middle East," he said.

Saint from the slums: Pope Francis has died

The first pontiff of South American origin traveled to his parish by subway

On April 22, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs deleted a post about condolences over the death of Pope Francis. Facebook Instagram and Facebook accounts of the Israeli Foreign Ministry (both platforms belong to Meta, a company whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned in Russia) and X (former. Twitter).

Pope Francis died on the morning of April 21 at the age of 89 at his residence in the Vatican's Santa Marta House. The pontiff struggled with bilateral pneumonia for a long time, and died of a cerebral stroke. The funeral of the pontiff will take place on April 26.