The Israeli Foreign Ministry has suddenly deleted a social media post offering condolences for the death of Pope Francis, in a move reported to have sparked outrage among diplomats.
Francis, who had served as head of the Catholic Church since 2013, passed away aged 88 on Monday.
His death prompted an outpouring of grief from Catholics, especially those who supported his more liberal approach to Christian doctrine, and messages of condolence from world leaders across the globe.
Indeed, Israeli President Isaac Herzog issued a statement in which he called the pontiff “a man of deep faith and boundless compassion” and a “great spiritual father” to the Catholic community.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry also posted a short message, reading: “Rest in peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing.”
However, within hours the statement had been deleted from the ministry’s social media channels, with no explanation given for the withdrawal.
The decision reportedly caused confusion and alarm among diplomats, with one telling Ynet: “We received no explanation, only an unequivocal order to delete.
"When we asked, we were told that the issue was ‘under review.’ This does not satisfy us, and certainly not the public to whom we represent Israel.”
Others expressed concern that it could damage Israel’s reputation globally, with one adding: “Not only did we not say words of condolence, but we chose to erase them – and that looks bad.”
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has also not posted any condolence message in contrast to President Herzog.
A third diplomat, in a WhatsApp chat seen by Ynet, suggested that the decision could relate to the late pope’s criticism of the war in Gaza and frequent commentary on the humanitarian conditions in the Strip, which he had labelled “shameful”.
They reportedly wrote: “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.”
A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry appeared to confirm this claim, reportedly replying: “The tweet was posted by mistake. We responded to the pope’s statements against Israel during his life, and we will not do so after his death. We respect the feelings of his followers.”
