Rabbi David Rosen highlights interfaith dialogue in Trump’s Gaza peace plan as key to reconciliation, praising UAE models and Cardinal Pizzaballa’s role. Vatican calls plan “realistic.”
Newsroom (01/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) As Yom Kippur, the solemn Jewish holiday of atonement, approaches, Rabbi David Rosen, a prominent British-born Israeli cleric, underscores the transformative potential of Point 18 in President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan. In an exclusive interview with AsiaNews, Rosen describes the clause, which emphasizes interfaith dialogue, as “potentially very important” for fostering peace between Israelis and Palestinians. “A clause of this kind is already present in the Abraham Accords, but has not been implemented,” he notes, highlighting a missed opportunity to bridge divides through shared religious values.
Point 18 of the 20-point peace plan, endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and awaiting Hamas’s response, calls for “a process of interreligious dialogue” rooted in tolerance and peaceful coexistence. The goal is to reshape the mentalities and narratives of both Palestinians and Israelis, emphasizing the tangible benefits of peace. Rosen, the son of the late English rabbi and educator Kopul Rosen, believes this initiative could draw on existing frameworks. “The Chief Rabbinate of Israel has a committee for official dialogue with the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews,” he explains. “The Abu Dhabi Peace Forum would be a natural partner to bring together Palestinian religious leaders in this effort.”
Rosen points to the United Arab Emirates as a leader in interreligious understanding, particularly through the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi. This interfaith complex, housing a mosque, church, and synagogue, has been praised by Msgr. Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia, as a “positive model” for a region marred by conflict. “The Abrahamic Family House is an extraordinary example of the UAE’s contribution to interreligious understanding,” Rosen says. “Its mere presence is an impressive testimony, and all who visit are moved and inspired.” He argues that the complex, with its successful local programs, could serve as an ideal venue for the interfaith activities envisioned in Point 18, though he urges it to take a more proactive role globally.
A veteran advocate for dialogue, Rosen played a pivotal role in establishing diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Israel in 1994 as a member of the Bilateral Commission. His career spans decades of interfaith work, including serving as Chief Rabbi of Ireland and rabbi in Cape Town, South Africa, before returning to Israel. Currently, he is the Director of the Interreligious Affairs Department of the American Jewish Committee and Honorary Advisor on Interreligious Relations to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Knight of the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great for his contributions to Catholic-Jewish reconciliation.
Rosen has not shied away from critiquing Israeli leadership, once calling the Jewish state’s attitude toward the Holy See “outrageous.” Last August, he joined dozens of Modern Orthodox rabbis, led by Rabbi Yosef Blau, in signing an appeal condemning settler violence and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Reflecting on the ongoing conflict, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and left families of hostages in anguish, Rosen praises Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, for his wisdom and spiritual leadership. “All of us in the Holy Land are blessed by the presence of a very wise and deeply spiritual Latin patriarch,” he says. “His role is very important and has great potential for promoting reconciliation if and when the conflict ends.”
Rosen emphasizes the broader significance of minority religious communities, particularly Christians, in the region. “The condition of a minority religious group is always the most profound reflection of the social and moral health of a society,” he concludes, “especially in the land of its origin.”
Vatican Endorses “Realistic” Peace Plan
In a separate statement, Pope Leo XIV described Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan as “realistic” and expressed hope that Hamas would accept it within the proposed timeframe. Speaking on the urgency of a ceasefire and hostage release, the pontiff noted “very interesting elements” in the proposal, reinforcing the Vatican’s support for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. The plan, which includes Point 18’s focus on interfaith dialogue, represents a multifaceted approach to addressing one of the world’s most intractable conflicts.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Asianews.it
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