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Pope Francis makes surprise stop at controversial West Bank wall seen as symbol of Israeli oppression Pope Francis makes surprise stop to pray at controversial West Bank wall seen as symbol of Israeli oppression in Palestine
(35 minutes later)
Pope Francis begged both sides to bring an end to a conflict he said was "no longer acceptable" shortly before making made a surprise stop at the hulking wall Palestinians see as a symbol of Israeli oppression. Pope Francis has dramatically thrown himself into the midst of Middle-East politics while on a symbolic visit to the Holy Land, in the same day securing a summit with the Israeli and Palestinian presidents and making an unscheduled stop to pray at a controversial wall erected around Bethlehem.
In an image set to become one of the most emblematic of his trip to the holy land, a sombre-looking Francis rested his forehead against the concrete structure that separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem, and prayed silently as a child holding a Palestinian flag looked on. US-moderated peace talks between the two sides broke down unceremoniously in late April, but at the end of an open air Mass today the Pope invited President Mahmoud Abbas and President Shimon Peres to meet with him in the Vatican next month and pray for peace.
He stood at a spot where someone had sprayed in red paint “Free Palestine”. Above his head was graffiti in broken English reading: “Bethlehem look like Warsaw Ghetto”, comparing the Palestinian plight with that of the Jews under the Nazis. In what has been described as a moral victory for the Pontiff – who is named after the peace-loving Saint Francis of Assisi – the offices of both presidents were quick to confirm their acceptance.
Israel says the barrier, erected 10 years ago during a spate of Palestinian suicide bombings, is needed to secure its security. Palestinians see it as a bid by Israel to partition off territory and grab land they want for their future state. The Pope’s very arrival today via helicopter in Bethlehem was seen as symbolic of his support for Palestinian ambitions for their own state – previous papal visits have invariably involved travelling in by car from Israel-occupied land.
On the second leg of a three-day trip to the Middle East, Francis delighted his Palestinian hosts by referring to the “state of Palestine”, giving support for their bid for full statehood recognition in the face of a paralysed peace process. Coming from Jordan in the second leg of a three-day Middle East tour, Francis also delighted his hosts by referring specifically to “the state of Palestine”, while also making clear that both sides must be open to negotiation if an end is to be brought to what he called an “unacceptable” stalemate.
But, speaking at the birthplace of Jesus in the Palestinian-run city of Bethlehem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, he made clear that a negotiated accord was needed, calling on leaders from both sides to overcome their myriad divisions. Pope Francis prays at Israel's separation barrier on his way to a mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ (AP) And providing the image that will likely become the emblem of his brief stay in birthplace of Christ, Francis’s convoy paused beside the hulking wall which, spanning three sides of Bethlehem, Palestinians regard as a symbol of Israeli oppression.
Francis invited the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to come to the Vatican to pray for an end to the enduring conflict, just a month after the collapse of U.S.-backed peace talks. The Pope rested his forehead against the concrete structure that separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem, and stood alongside a child holding a Palestinian flag and graffiti saying “Free Palestine” as he prayed.
“In this, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, I wish to invite you, President Mahmoud Abbas, together with President Shimon Peres, to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace,” the Pope said at an open-air Mass in Bethlehem. Israel says the barrier, erected 10 years ago during a spate of Palestinian suicide bombings, is a necessary security measure.  Palestinians describe it as a bid by Israel to partition off territory and grab land they want for their future state.
A spokeswoman for Peres said in Jerusalem that the president “always accepts any kind of initiative to promote peace”. While Abbas heads the Palestinian government, Peres's post is largely ceremonial and he is due to leave office in July. Pope Francis and the Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas at a welcoming ceremony on Sunday 25 May in the West Bank Biblical town of Bethlehem Francis’s trip has already been marked by controversy, as earlier Israeli police confirmed they arrested 26 Jewish nationalists who took part in a protest at the Cenacle in Jerusalem, the traditional site of Jesus's Last Supper, where the Pope is due to hold mass tomorrow.
Francis had flown by helicopter to Bethlehem from Jordan, where he started his tour on Saturday, becoming the first pontiff to travel directly to the West Bank rather than enter via Israel - another nod to Palestinian statehood aspirations.
He was due to travel to Israel later in the day for a swirl of meetings, with some 8,000 police deployed in Jerusalem to guarantee his security.
Israeli police said they arrested 26 people who took part in a protest early on Sunday by Jewish nationalists at the Cenacle in Jerusalem, the traditional site of Jesus's Last Supper, where Francis is due to hold a Mass on Monday.
The protesters say the authorities are preparing to hand the Church the site, where some Jews believe King David is buried. The Israeli government has denied any such deal.The protesters say the authorities are preparing to hand the Church the site, where some Jews believe King David is buried. The Israeli government has denied any such deal.
Israel has blamed the Palestinian president for the failure of the latest peace talks, but standing alongside Abbas, Francis pointedly referred to him as “a man of peace and a peacemaker”. Israel has blamed the Palestinian president for the failure of the latest peace talks, but today, standing alongside Abbas, Francis pointedly referred to him as “a man of peace and a peacemaker”.
Although the Vatican said the primary purpose of this visit was religious, political overtones were ever present. Abbas’s spokesman later said that the Pope’s proposed Vatican talks would be scheduled for some time in June, and Peres, a 90-year-old Nobel Peace laureate, is set to step down over the summer, said: “We welcome Pope Francis' invitation to the Vatican. President Peres has supported and will continue to support all avenues to bring about peace.”
A mural behind the altar at the Bethlehem Mass showed Jesus, who was a Jew, swaddled in a Palestinian keffiyeh, with his father, Joseph, also wearing the black and white headdress, made famous by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. In order to avoid further diplomatic tangles than necessary today, Francis was due to return to his helicopter and fly to Tel Aviv airport for a welcoming reception from Israeli leaders, rather than drive the short distance to Jerusalem.
Pictures equating Palestinian suffering with that of Christ dotted the city. The pope was later due to meet refugees at a camp set up after the 1948 creation of Israel, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled, or were forced to abandon their homes. From Tel Aviv, he will fly to Jerusalem for what he has said is the main purpose of the trip - to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a historic meeting of Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders, who moved to end centuries of bitter divisions between the two churches.
To avoid a diplomatic tangle, Francis will then get back in his helicopter and fly to Tel Aviv airport for a welcoming reception from Israeli leaders, rather than drive the short distance to Jerusalem. Additional reporting by agencies
Israel calls Jerusalem its eternal and undivided capital, having annexed Arab neighbourhoods seized in the 1967 war, including the Old City, the site of the main religious shrines. The rest of the world has not recognised the annexation.
From Tel Aviv, he will fly to Jerusalem for what he has said is the main purpose of the trip - to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a historic meeting of Catholic and Orthodox Christian leaders, who moved to end centuries of bitter divisions between the two churches. (Writing by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Peter Graff)