Pope in Bethleham Endorses Palestinian State!

13. May, 2009 Print This Article! 0 Comments

Pope Benedict meets Palestinian President Abbas

Play Video AP – Raw Video: Pope meets with Palestinian President

By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH and DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writers

BETHLEHEM, West Bank – Standing in the cradle of Christianity, Pope Benedict XVI told Palestinians Wednesday he understood their suffering and offered his strongest and most symbolic public backing yet for an independent Palestinian state.

To get to Jesus’ traditional birthplace of Bethlehem, Benedict crossed through the towering concrete slabs of the separation barrier Israel has erected to wall off the West Bank’s Palestinian areas.

On a visit to a nearby refugee camp, he expressed regret over Israel’s construction of the separation barrier. A section of the barrier fortified by an Israeli military watchtower provided a stark backdrop as he spoke. In Bethlehem, he offered a prayer for Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza.

But he also urged young Palestinians to “have the courage to resist any temptation to resort to acts of violence or terrorism.” It was his first direct mention of terrorism since he arrived in Jordan last Friday on a weeklong Holy Land pilgrimage aimed at inspiring peace and strengthening frayed ties with Muslims and Jews.

Pope Benedict XVI, center, blesses a child as he walks to the Church of the Nativity

At the Aida refugee camp, the pope said it was understandable that Palestinians feel frustrated.

“Their legitimate aspirations for permanent homes, for an independent Palestinian state, remain unfilled,” he said.

Benedict’s first visit to Bethlehem since becoming pope took on increased significance as he endorsed the idea of a homeland while standing on Palestinian soil.

“Mr. President, 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 neighbors, within internationally recognized borders,” he said, standing alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Benedict’s Holy Land pilgrimage was meant largely to boost interfaith relations. But so far, it has been fraught with political land mines. Israelis have criticized the German-born pope for failing to adequately express remorse for the Holocaust, while the Palestinians are pressing him to draw attention to the difficult conditions of life under Israeli rule.

The pope also called for a Palestinian homeland when he arrived in Israel Monday for the five-day visit. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in the audience, has resisted international pressure to endorse the idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Netanyahu is to meet the pope on Thursday.

At an open-air mass near Jesus’ traditional birth grotto, Benedict delivered a special message of solidarity to the 1.4 million Palestinians isolated in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. He has no plans to visit Gaza