Pope Benedict XVI today lamented the "tragic" building by Israel of the West Bank separation barrier in a speech to Palestinians at a refugee camp in Bethlehem in the shadow of the 25ft structure.
In sentiments that are sure to anger Jerusalem – who had blocked the building of a stage for the Pope next to the concrete and steel wall – the pontiff said the barrier was a symbol of the stalemate in relations between Israel and the Palestinians.
“Towering over us... is a stark reminder of the stalemate that relations between Israelis and Palestinians seem to have reached – the wall," he told a crowd at the Aida refugee camp.
“In a world where more and more borders are being opened up – to trade, to travel, to movement of peoples, to cultural exchanges – it is tragic to see walls still being erected,” he said.
How earnestly we pray for an end to the hostilities that have caused this wall to be built."
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 wartime past of Pope has threatened to overwhelm his mission to the Holy Land and yesterday the Vatican issued a surprise denial that the pontiff had served in the Hitler Youth.
Earlier today the pontiff challenged the reluctant Israeli leadership to find a two-state solution to the enduring conflict in the Middle East.
The Pope also led Mass in Manger Square, Bethlehem, 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 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’s support for a two-state solution is in line with the international community but not the new Prime Minister, who says the Palestinians are not ready to rule themselves.
Christians are a tiny minority among the 3.9 million Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but thousands gathered to see the Pope this morning.
“When he comes and visits us, it gives us moral and material support,” said Ramzi Shomali, a 27-year-old electric company worker. “It motivates us to stay in our land, and he will see our situation and will use his power for our good.”
Victor Batarseh, Bethlehem’s Christian mayor, said he hoped the papal mission would “encourage Palestinian Christians to be steadfast on their land and encourage them to stay”.
Source:The times
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