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Vatican Spokesman Claims Expansionist Designs Behind Israeli Bombings of Terrorists in Lebanon

July 1, 1974
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Vatican spokesman Prof. Frederico Alessandrini, has vigorously condemned Israeli air raids against terrorists in Lebanon. He called them “true acts of terror,” in an article published over the weekend and the implied that the raids were tied to Israeli expansionist interests in southern Lebanon.

In the article in the Vatican periodical “L’Ossevatore Della Domenica,” Alessandrini flatly rejected as “morally inadmissable” Israeli claims that the raids were carried out to prevent Palestinian terrorist attacks. He implied the raids were rooted in Israeli interests in acquiring the waters of the Litani and Hasbani Rivers in southern Lebanon. The Israelis “have never made a secret of their interest in the hydraulic resources present in southern Lebanon,” wrote Alessandrini. The Vatican spokesman implied that in order to acquire this “economically interesting” territory, Israel is deliberately working toward an all-out war with Lebanon. He described the raids as preparatory operations leading up to more “decisive” Israeli actions against Lebanon.

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