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Home › Politics

Politics | 05/11/2009 8:45 am

Pope Calls for Free Palestine in Israel

The Catholic leader called for peace — and Palestinian autonomy — in Israel today.
By The Staff at wowOwow.com
© AP

Pope Benedict XVI’s Middle East tour took him to Israel today, and he definitely made an instant impression when he urged the Jewish state’s government to work with the Palestinians to bring peace to the region. He did not, however, use the word "state" when discussing Palestinian freedom, word choice that no doubt would have upset Israel’s new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who says he has no interest in a "two-state" solution.

Said the pope at the Tel Aviv airport: "I plead with all those responsible to explore every possible avenue in the search for a just resolution of the outstanding difficulties, so that both peoples may live in peace in a homeland of their own, within secure and internationally recognized borders." The Vatican has long called for such a solution.

Israel President Shimon Peres welcomed the pope by saying, "I see your visit here, to the Holy Land, as an important spiritual mission of the highest order: a mission of peace," he said, according to UPI. "A mission of planting seeds of tolerance and uprooting the weeds of fanaticism. I appreciate your stances and your actions to bring down the level of violence and hatred in the world."

The pope will visit some of the world’s holiest sites, like the Western Wall. He will also visit a Holocaust memorial.

Read more about: Benajamin Netanayu, Israel, News, Palestine, Pope Benedict XVI, Religion, Shimon Peres

12 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

caj p
It’s about time Israel were told to get their act together and work with the Palestinians so they can both finally live in peace, both sides must be totally sick of conflict by now…fighting achieves nothing but more fighting time for it to end.
By caj p on 05/11/2009 8:55 am
Rachel F

That’s right, caj…it’s evil Israel at fault. Of course, I suppose we’d better discount the many offers of statehood made by Israel (and rejected by palestinians), because, of course, the evil Israelis made the preposterous, unacceptable demand that Israel’s right to exist must be recognized. Good golly, no wonder the palestinians want to wipe Israel out — because Israel insists that they not want to wipe them out!!

Israel has tried, again and again, to achieve peace by meeting the demands of the palestinians; the palestinians have taken and taken, and given nothing in return. It’s time for the palestinians to renounce terrorism and admit Israel’s right to exist; until then, there can be no peace. Right now, the more Israel gives, the more vulnerable she becomes. There can’t be a two state solution if one state is intent on wiping the other state out; that’s the attitude of the palestinian leadership (hamas, whose charter includes calls for precisely that, and fatah too, whose "moderate" leader denies Israel’s right to exist).

By Rachel F on 05/11/2009 9:53 am
S G
I agree caj p it is time that peace prevailed. If the super powers would stop playing slice and dice with other peoples countries there would be a more peaceful world.
By S G on 05/11/2009 9:03 am
f p
The Palestinian state is inevitable no matter what Netanyahu thinks at present. Unless it happens there will be no peace in the middle east.
By f p on 05/11/2009 9:31 am
Rachel F

A palestinian state has to accept Israel’s existence, and right to exist. Without that acceptance, there can be no acceptance of a palestinian state.

The problem is, Israel has made the offer time and time again, and offered to sacrifice lots of Israeli land (and homes); every time, it has been rejected, because the palestinians refuse to accept a Jewish state, period. 

There will be no peace until the palestinians accept a Jewish state.

By Rachel F on 05/11/2009 9:47 am
f p
And the reverse is true too, esp. with Netanyahu’s gov’t.  No peace until Israel recognizes that Palestinians have the right to a country also.
By f p on 05/11/2009 10:21 am
Rachel F

The problem, fp, and the reason that many Israelis see a two state solution as a failed idea, is that the palestinians have rejected many Israeli offers of statehood, preferring instead to attempt to destroy Israel.

If the palestinians were willing to accept Israel — and not just occasionally pay lip-service to the idea, as fatah does — Israel would gladly embrace a two state solution (as is evidenced by the many offers [and conciliatory concessions] that Israel has made to give the Palestinians a state). 

Israel has given and given and given. Every time, it only makes things worse for Israel. They gave up Gaza, forcibly uprooting Jewish settlers to do so; Gaza is now a launching base for rockets that are shot into Israeli towns. One sided concessions gain nothing. The ball is in the palestinian court; they have to decide whether they will stop fighting with themselves and Israel, and accept statehood, or not.

By Rachel F on 05/11/2009 10:33 am
Kristy B
This is on both the Palestinians and the Israeli people.  There’s too ill history and hatred between them for them to ever work something out.
By Kristy B on 05/11/2009 10:27 am
Maggie W
With Hamas now playing a more dominant role, hell will freeze over before the Palestinians accept and recognize a Jewish state.  The only thing that will make them happy is to blow Israel off the map.  That is their one and only goal.
By Maggie W on 05/11/2009 10:56 am
Rachel F
You’re absolutely right, Maggie. Fatah has quietly admitted that they refuse to acknowledge Israel; Hamas is completely brazen about it. Palestinian children are raised to hate and fear Israelis; they are taught to aspire to "martyrdom" while killing Jews. Their school books, television programs, religious instruction — all of it — is rife with violent Jew hatred and aspirations to murder, rob and destroy Jews. These children are being indoctrinated and raised to perpetuate the cycle of hate and killing, just like German children were during the Nazi era; like Nazi children, they are taught that their own suffering is the product of "the Jews" (rather than their incompetent, self-serving leaders, who have time and again refused a state of their own in favor of continuing their war). This is a very real problem, and it is hugely dishonest and even dangerous to pin it on Israel.
By Rachel F on 05/11/2009 11:21 am
Maggie W
Giving up Gaza was big… so very big.  I remember the horrible pictures of people being dragged from the only homes they had ever known for "relocation"… a word known all too well from history.  That made the Palestinians happy and content for all of about 30 minutes.  You are so right, Rachel, about the hatred.  It is as intense as any seen, including old footage taken during the Civil Rights movement. 
By Maggie W on 05/11/2009 12:27 pm
Rachel F
I know…and the "brilliant" solution posited by the west has been simply "keep giving them more!" What is it called, now, when you keep doing the same thing over and over hoping for a different result? ;)
By Rachel F on 05/11/2009 2:11 pm