JERUSALEM – Pope Benedict XVI denounced anti-Semitism and appealed for Middle East peace based on a two-state solution on the latest leg of a pilgrimage to press for reconciliation in the conflict-ridden region.
‘Sadly anti-Semitism continues to rear its ugly head in many parts of the world,’ Benedict said after he flew in from Jordan for a five-day tight-security tour of Israel and the Palestinian territories.
‘This is totally unacceptable. Every effort must be made to combat anti-Semitism whereever it is found, and to promote respect and esteem for the members of every people, tribe, language and nation across the globe.’
The pope is hoping to repair Israel-Vatican relations which have been strained over his backing for the beatification of controversial Nazi-era pope Pius XII and lifting the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying British bishop.
Benedict also called for the creation of a Palestinian state and appealed for Israelis and Palestinians to resolve their conflicthat has caused decades of bloodshed in the land sacred to the world’s three major monotheistic faiths.
‘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 recognised borders,’ he said.
Israel’s hawkish new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was visiting Egypt yesterday on his first foreign trip since taking office, has so far failed to publicly support Palestinian statehood.
Security-obsessed Israel is laying on stringent measures for the trip under ‘Operation White Robe’, with tens of thousands of law enforcement officers deployed and Israeli air space closed for the pope’s arrival.
In Jerusalem, where the 82-year-old pontiff flew in by helicopter from Israel’s international airport near Tel Aviv, entire sections of the city were to be shut down on and off during his visit.
‘Even though the name Jerusalem means ‘city of peace,’ it is all too evident that, for decades, peace has tragically eluded the inhabitants of this holy land,’ the pope said.
‘The hopes of countless men, women and children for a more secure and stable future depend on the outcome of negotiations for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.’
Benedict will follow in the footsteps of Jesus and visit Jewish and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem, Israel and the West Bank.
– Nampa-AFP
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