An Israeli official has insisted that the government is “not downplaying” the death of Pope Francis after an internal row erupted when the Foreign Ministry deleted its condolence post for the late pontiff.
The official, who spoke to JNS on condition of anonymity, noted the statement by Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Francis’ death, adding that Herzog “is the official head of state, and his statement on the matter is the definitive reaction.”
The president did, indeed, issue a sincere statement, in which he called Francis “a man of deep faith and boundless compassion” and a “great spiritual father” to the world’s Catholic.
However, controversy arose after the Foreign Ministry decided to convey its condolences on X, only to delete that tweet hours later.
“Rest in peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing,” read the deleted post.
Its removal prompted speculation that it was over Pope Francis’s criticisms of Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza, including his remarks in November that “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide”.
One diplomat, in a WhatsApp chat seen by Ynet, reportedly said: “We were given a direct order to delete the tweets, with no explanation.
"We deleted a simple, innocent tweet expressing basic condolences – clearly because of the pope’s criticism of Israel over the war in Gaza.”
Others claimed that Charedi parties in the governing coalition exerted political pressure to have the tweets removed.
However, the official told JNS that the latter claim was “nonsense.”
“The issues we had with the late pope, of blessed memory, we are not going to air out after his passing, and it didn’t prevent an Israeli acknowledgement at the highest levels of his passing,” they added.
Asked why the ministry deleted the tweet, they claimed: “Posting the tweet was an internal mistake. I don’t want to get into a discussion in the media about the sort of considerations that go into the official response to world events, it’s the stuff of diplomacy and protocol.
"But the response to Pope Francis’ death has been full, dignified and comprehensive.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu has also now issued a statement on the pope’s death, four days after Herzog’s message.
A tweet from his office read: “The State of Israel expresses its deepest condolences to the Catholic Church and the Catholic community worldwide at the passing of Pope Francis.”
The official also confirmed that Israel will be represented at Francis’ funeral by its ambassador to the Vatican rather than Netanyahu or Herzog.
Other countries will be sending their political leaders as well as their heads of state to the funeral, including the UK with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles, respectively. US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will also reportedly be attending, along with President Emmanuel Macron of France and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as well as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Netanyahu has a warrant out for his arrest from the International Criminal Court that many European Union countries have pledged to honour, limiting his ability to travel in Europe.
Asked to explain what appears like a different official response to the pope’s death on Israel’s part compared to many other Western nations, the official merely said: “Israel has paid its respects by its head of state, who expressed the official position full-heartedly and unreservedly.”
