The Vatican’s Unheeded History Lesson
Fox News reports the Vatican declined to join a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza recovery, an initiative floated by former President Donald Trump. Cardinal Pietro Parolin cited the Holy See’s 'particular nature' and emphasized the necessity of UN oversight, a diplomatic demurral that speaks volumes about past attempts at such arrangements. This is not a new script; Washington has consistently
attempted to bypass established international bodies like the United Nations, especially when its preferred outcomes conflict with global consensus. In 1993, the Oslo Accords were orchestrated outside the UN framework, leading to an expansion of Israeli settlements by nearly 50% between 1993 and 2000, as documented by B’Tselem. Similarly, the 2020 Abraham Accords, heralded as a breakthrough,
conspicuously excluded any meaningful Palestinian input, offering a façade of regional peace without addressing the core issues of occupation and displacement. The Vatican’s call for UN leadership directly contradicts the U.S. playbook of bilateral or unilateral 'peace' efforts that often serve to normalize occupation rather than resolve it. The implicit double standard is glaring: while the U.S.
champions international law when it suits its interests—such as condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine—it routinely sidesteps or undermines the UN when dealing with its allies, particularly in the Middle East. This selective adherence makes genuine, equitable resolutions impossible. What the Vatican understands, and what mainstream Western media often obscures, is that true peace requires a