This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/8043113.stm
The article has changed 17 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 8 | Version 9 |
|---|---|
| Pope decries 'ugly' anti-Semitism | Pope decries 'ugly' anti-Semitism |
| (8 minutes later) | |
| Pope Benedict has begun a visit to the Holy Land by saying anti-Semitism is totally unacceptable and must be countered wherever it is found. | Pope Benedict has begun a visit to the Holy Land by saying anti-Semitism is totally unacceptable and must be countered wherever it is found. |
| He honoured publicly the memory of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis with a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. | He honoured publicly the memory of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis with a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. |
| Earlier, in his arrival speech, the pontiff voiced support for the Palestinians' right to a homeland. | |
| He is due to visit Christian holy places during his five-day pilgrimage. | He is due to visit Christian holy places during his five-day pilgrimage. |
| The Pope's immediate, forceful and unequivocal condemnation of anti-Semitism in any form and in any part of the world will have pleased his Israeli hosts, the BBC's David Willey reports from Jerusalem. | The Pope's immediate, forceful and unequivocal condemnation of anti-Semitism in any form and in any part of the world will have pleased his Israeli hosts, the BBC's David Willey reports from Jerusalem. |
| But some Israelis have been hoping that the Pope will apologise yet again for his recent reconciliation with a Catholic cleric who is a known Holocaust-denier, our correspondent says. | But some Israelis have been hoping that the Pope will apologise yet again for his recent reconciliation with a Catholic cleric who is a known Holocaust-denier, our correspondent says. |
| Wreath for the dead | |
| Flying in from Jordan, where he visited a mosque at the weekend, Benedict was greeted by Israeli leaders at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv before being flown to Jerusalem by helicopter. | Flying in from Jordan, where he visited a mosque at the weekend, Benedict was greeted by Israeli leaders at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv before being flown to Jerusalem by helicopter. |
| Every effort must be made to combat anti-Semitism wherever it is found Pope Benedict | |
| "Sadly, anti-Semitism continues to rear its ugly head in many parts of the world," he said as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres sat nearby. | "Sadly, anti-Semitism continues to rear its ugly head in many parts of the world," he said as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres sat nearby. |
| "This is totally unacceptable. Every effort must be made to combat anti-Semitism wherever it is found." | "This is totally unacceptable. Every effort must be made to combat anti-Semitism wherever it is found." |
| At the Yad Vashem memorial, where he was flanked by President Peres and other Israeli public figures, Pope Benedict laid a wreath on a stone covering the ashes of people killed in the Holocaust. | |
| He shook the hands of six Holocaust survivors and, in a speech about the dead, said: "They lost their lives but they will never lose their names... One can never take away the name of a fellow human being." | |
| "May their suffering never be denied," he added. | |
| 'Just resolution' | |
| The eyes of the world, the Pope added in his arrival speech, were upon the peoples of the Middle East as they struggled to solve conflicts that had caused so much suffering. | |
| POPE IN THE MIDDLE EAST Monday Arrives in Israel, meets President Shimon PeresTuesday Visits Western Wall, meets Chief RabbisWednesday Visits Bethlehem, visits refugees, meets Mahmoud AbbasThursday Mass in Nazareth, talks with Benjamin Netanyahu, meets FranciscansFriday Meets Orthodox Christian leaders, departs Itinerary: Israel and West Bank Pope in the Mid East: The issues Send us your comments | |
| "I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue in the search for a just resolution of the outstanding difficulties," he said. | "I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue in the search for a just resolution of the outstanding difficulties," he said. |
| "So that both people may live in peace in a homeland of their own within secure and internationally recognised borders." | "So that both people may live in peace in a homeland of their own within secure and internationally recognised borders." |
| President Peres said he hoped the pontiff's visit would help "pave the road to peace". | President Peres said he hoped the pontiff's visit would help "pave the road to peace". |
| Prime Minister Netanyahu has now flown to Egypt, where the idea of a two-state solution will be high on the agenda in talks with President Hosni Mubarak. | Prime Minister Netanyahu has now flown to Egypt, where the idea of a two-state solution will be high on the agenda in talks with President Hosni Mubarak. |
| Israel's new prime minister did not make a speech at Ben Gurion and has so far not said if he will support a two-state solution. | Israel's new prime minister did not make a speech at Ben Gurion and has so far not said if he will support a two-state solution. |
| Our correspondent, who is travelling with the Pope, says the Catholic Church and the current Israeli government do not see eye-to-eye on Palestinian statehood. | Our correspondent, who is travelling with the Pope, says the Catholic Church and the current Israeli government do not see eye-to-eye on Palestinian statehood. |
| He says the issue will be the main focus of talks between the Pope and the Israeli government over the next few days. | He says the issue will be the main focus of talks between the Pope and the Israeli government over the next few days. |
| Sacred places | |
| The Pope said Israel and the Vatican had many shared values, including the desire to put religion in its rightful place in society. | The Pope said Israel and the Vatican had many shared values, including the desire to put religion in its rightful place in society. |
| Apart from celebrating Mass in Jerusalem and Nazareth, Pope Benedict will also visit the most sacred places in Jerusalem for Jews and Muslims. | Apart from celebrating Mass in Jerusalem and Nazareth, Pope Benedict will also visit the most sacred places in Jerusalem for Jews and Muslims. |
| He will also visit a Palestinian refugee camp close to Bethlehem. | He will also visit a Palestinian refugee camp close to Bethlehem. |
| Israel is beefing up security for the trip in an operation named "White Robe", with tens of thousands of law-enforcement officers deployed and entire sections of Jerusalem to be shut down. | Israel is beefing up security for the trip in an operation named "White Robe", with tens of thousands of law-enforcement officers deployed and entire sections of Jerusalem to be shut down. |
| During the previous leg of his tour - a three-day stay in Jordan - the Pope stressed the importance of Christians and Muslims working together. | During the previous leg of his tour - a three-day stay in Jordan - the Pope stressed the importance of Christians and Muslims working together. |
| Analysts say his words are likely to be heavily scrutinised during this week's trip. | Analysts say his words are likely to be heavily scrutinised during this week's trip. |