Nichols condemns Gaza violence

Politicians in both Palestine and Israel must recognise that there is more to leadership than security and aggression, Cardinal Vincent Nichols said this week on his first visit to Gaza, an experience he described as “very dramatic and traumatic”, writes Joanna Moorhead.

The cardinal, leading a Westminster diocesan pilgrimage to the Holy Land, warned about the rise and potential power of extremist groups. “There has to be a political impetus to fill a void because the greatest fear here is that extremists are being left with a more and more significant role, and that must surely be a recipe for a deepening break-up of the fragile links and bonds between people,” he said.