Pope demands independent Palestinian state
Thursday, 14 May 2009
BETHLEHEM, May 13 (Times Online): Pope Benedict XVI travelled to one of the ancient centres of Christianity Wednesday and declared his strongest support yet for an independent Palestinian state.
The pontiff challenged the reluctant Israeli leadership to find a two-state solution to the enduring conflict in the Middle East as his increasingly political tour of the region reached Bethlehem.
The town, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, now lies within the West Bank in the shadow of the eight-metre tall Israeli wall.
The Pope led Mass in Manger Square today in front of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, and a crowd of several thousand Christians. As the crowd cheered and applauded he said his "heart goes out to the children" affected by the conflict.
He said he was praying that Israel's embargo on Gaza "will soon be lifted" and noted how strange it was that Bethlehem is associated with the joy and renewal of Jesus's birth "yet here in our midst how far this magnificent promise seems from being realised".
Palestinian security guards stood on the roof of the Church of the Nativity and the surrounding buildings with rifles and Kalashnikovs, as the Pope urged a lasting settlement.
"The Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbours, within internationally recognised borders," he said.
"In particular I call on the international community to bring its influence to bear in favour of a solution."
He said to the Palestinians gathered in the square: "I know how much you have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of the turmoil that has afflicted this land for decades.
"Have the courage to resist any temptation you may feel to resort to acts of violence or terrorism. Instead, let what you have experienced renew your determination to build peace."
The trip to the Palestinian territories came a day after he was criticised by some in Israel for failing to adequately express remorse for the Holocaust during a visit to a Second World War memorial.
The Pope's "peace mission" to the Middle East has proved more difficult than planned, but he has continued to speak out against the views of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister.
The pontiff challenged the reluctant Israeli leadership to find a two-state solution to the enduring conflict in the Middle East as his increasingly political tour of the region reached Bethlehem.
The town, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, now lies within the West Bank in the shadow of the eight-metre tall Israeli wall.
The Pope led Mass in Manger Square today in front of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, and a crowd of several thousand Christians. As the crowd cheered and applauded he said his "heart goes out to the children" affected by the conflict.
He said he was praying that Israel's embargo on Gaza "will soon be lifted" and noted how strange it was that Bethlehem is associated with the joy and renewal of Jesus's birth "yet here in our midst how far this magnificent promise seems from being realised".
Palestinian security guards stood on the roof of the Church of the Nativity and the surrounding buildings with rifles and Kalashnikovs, as the Pope urged a lasting settlement.
"The Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbours, within internationally recognised borders," he said.
"In particular I call on the international community to bring its influence to bear in favour of a solution."
He said to the Palestinians gathered in the square: "I know how much you have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of the turmoil that has afflicted this land for decades.
"Have the courage to resist any temptation you may feel to resort to acts of violence or terrorism. Instead, let what you have experienced renew your determination to build peace."
The trip to the Palestinian territories came a day after he was criticised by some in Israel for failing to adequately express remorse for the Holocaust during a visit to a Second World War memorial.
The Pope's "peace mission" to the Middle East has proved more difficult than planned, but he has continued to speak out against the views of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister.