Christians shutter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to protest taxes

JERUSALEM (AP) — The leaders of the major Christian sects in Jerusalem closed the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the traditional site of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, for several hours on Sunday to protest an Israeli plan to tax their properties.

The Christian leaders responsible for the site issued a joint statement bemoaning what they called a “systematic campaign of abuse” against them, comparing it to anti-Jewish laws issued in Nazi Germany.

The Christians are angry about the Jerusalem municipality plans to tax their various assets around the city and a potential parliament bill to expropriate land sold by the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches. The churches, which are major landowners in the holy city, say it violates a long standing status quo.

The Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and the Armenian Apostolic leaders said the moves seemed like an attempt to “weaken the Christian presence in Jerusalem...” (continued)

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• Christians shutter famous Jerusalem church to protest taxes

Transition official says Trump will make Mike Huckabee ambassador to Israel and move U.S. embassy to Jerusalem: 'Governor Huckabee is going to see it through'

By David Martosko, Us Political Editor For Dailymail.com In Washington

(The Daily Mail) Mike Huckabee is headed back to the Holy Land.

The two-time White House hopeful, former Fox New Channel weekend host and former governor of Arkansas will be America's next ambassador to Israel, a presidential transition official confirmed to DailyMail.com on Friday. He is scheduled to meet with President-Elect Donald Trump Friday at 2:00 p.m.

Huckabee, an ordained Baptist preacher and electric bass player, will become the tip of Trump's spear as he seeks to shake up U.S. foreign relations in the Middle East, beginning with relocating America's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

'That's going to happen,' the transition official said. 'Governor Huckabee is going to see it through.'

Despite congressional approval for moving the U.S. embassy, American leaders have historically tap-danced around the issue of where in Israel America's diplomatic footprint should fall. No other nation has its embassy in Jerusalem.

Still, Israel's Knesset and Supreme Court are located in West Jerusalem. And the nation captured East Jerusalem in the 1967 'Six-Day War,' taking control of it from Jordan.

Read More at the Daily Mail

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• Transition official says Trump will make Mike Huckabee ambassador to Israel and move U.S. embassy to Jerusalem: 'Governor Huckabee is going to see it through'

Arab Newspaper: Maronite patriarch's Jerusalem visit would be 'historic sin'

Beirut (AFP) - A visit to Jerusalem by the patriarch of the Lebanon-based Maronite church to greet Pope Francis would be a "historic sin", a leading newspaper close to the anti-Israeli Hezbollah said Saturday.

Patriarch Beshara Rai, whose church is the largest Christian denomination in Lebanon, told AFP on Friday he would travel to the Holy Land to welcome the pontiff during his brief May 24-26 visit.

In doing so, he would be the first patriarch to do so since the creation in 1948 of Israel, with which Lebanon is technically at war.

In response, the leading Arab nationalist daily As-Safir ran a critical piece headlined "Historic sin: Rai goes to Israel".

Calling it a "dangerous precedent", the daily argued that the trip would "not serve the interests of Lebanon and the Lebanese, nor those of Palestine and the Palestinians nor Christians and Christianity".

It speculated on whether the patriarch, who is also a Roman Catholic cardinal, "would shake hands with Israeli leaders who will be in the front row to welcome Pope Francis to Jerusalem".

Even if he does not, he would still have to coordinate his trip with Israeli officials, the paper added, claiming that the visit "is part of the normalisation between the head of the Catholic church and the occupier".

Al-Akhbar, another newspaper close to Hezbollah, said a group of Lebanese politicians will try to dissuade Rai "from visiting Jerusalem as long as it is under Israeli occupation, which would signify a normalisation with the occupier".

Lebanese citizens are banned from entering Israel, but Maronite clergy may to travel to the Holy Land to minister to the estimated 10,000 faithful there.

Rai insisted that the trip will be strictly religious and has no political significance.

The Maronite church has its roots in the Fertile Crescent of the early 5th century. It is named after St Maron, a hermit whose holiness and miracles attracted many followers.

Following a bloody persecution a century later, the Maronites fled to the mountains of what is now Lebanon to seek refuge.

They have their own distinct theology, spirituality, liturgy and code of canon law, but are in full communion with Rome.

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• Maronite patriarch's Jerusalem visit would be 'historic sin'

Netanyahu 'Asked Rabbi to Allow Giving David's Tomb to Vatican'

An MK Says Netanyahu has contacted the Chief Sephardic Rabbi, asked for halakhic permission to make the move.

By Hezki Ezra, Gil Ronen 

(Arutz Sheva) A Knesset Member said Thursday that Chief Sephardic Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef told him that the Prime Minister's bureau contacted him and asked to grant halakhic permission for Israel to hand over the Tomb of David to the Vatican.

The startling news was revealed by the Knesset Member during a tour of the Tomb of Daid by four MKs – Yoni Chetboun of the Jewish Home, who initiated the tour, Moshe Feiglin (Likud-Beytenu), Nissim Ze'ev (Shas), and Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism – UTJ).

The MKs were unanimous in declaring that they intend to do everything within their power to forestall any attempt to hand over the Tomb to the Vatican. There are also reports that not just the Tomb, but the entire Mount Zion compound is up for transfer. The MKs made clear that the zone is under Israeli sovereignty and will remain so.

There have been reports, recently, of a secret negotiation channel between the Vatican and the Israeli government, regarding the Tomb – and especially its second floor, which the Vatican calls the “Room of the Last Supper” – and the Mount Zion compound.

Officially, this report was denied by the government, with Deputy Minister Ze'ev Elkin taking to the Knesset podium to state that it was untrue.

However, the government has decided to place the exclusive authority regarding the holy sites in the hands of the prime minister – fueling speculation that a secret deal is indeed in the works.

The Vatican's attempts to gain a sovereign foothold in the Mount of Olives have been going on for year, but thus far unsuccessfully.

The visit to Israel by Pope Francis is less than a month away. This is a factor in the timing of the MKs' tour of the compound. A representative of the Religions Ministry's Department of Holy Sites was also present.

The MKs promised to pass a law making the Tomb of David an official holy site.

"For many years, the Vatican has been investing large sums in purchasing assets in Jerusalem, with the purpose of blurring the city's Jewish character,” said Chetboun. “This trend must be blocked, and the Basic Law on Jerusalem, which forbids handing over sovereignty on parts of the city to foreign entities, must be enforced. Today's tour is only the beginning of the struggle, and we will bring more MKs here. The Tomb of David is a cornerstone of the city's Jewish history, we must safeguard it.”

MK Feiglin said after the tour, “The attempts to transfer sovereignty over the Tomb of David to the Vatican are a direct continuation of the transfer of sovereignty in the Temple Mount to the Jordanians. The government of Israel is buying a false calm at the price of forfeiting our most sacred sites, under cover of darkness and against the law.”

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• Netanyahu 'Asked Rabbi to Allow Giving David's Tomb to Vatican'

Israel vandals hit mosque, church as Christians threatened

Jerusalem (AFP) - Vandals suspected of being Jewish extremists hit a mosque and a church in Israel, police said Tuesday, in the latest of a string of racist and religious attacks.

In a separate development, police arrested an Israeli man after he threatened the Roman Catholic bishop of Nazareth and demanded that Catholics leave the country or face God's wrath.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP vandals had scrawled "Close mosques and not yeshivas" (Jewish seminaries) on the outer wall of a mosque in the small Arab town of Fureidis, near the northern port city of Haifa.

The tyres of several nearby cars had been slashed.

Police were also investigating vandalism at Tabgha church on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, which was built on the site where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

Church officials said a group of religious Jews in their early teens had damaged crosses there and attacked clergy. 

Elsewhere in northern Israel, police arrested a Jewish man in his 40s for threatening Roman Catholic Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo of Nazareth, and members of his faith.

- Letter from the 'Messiah' -

In the letter, the suspect said all Christians, "except Protestants and Anglicans," should leave Israel by May 5 that if Marcuzzo and his community did not comply, they would all be "killed by the heavens".

There are also other Christian communities in Israel, such as the Eastern Orthodox, Armenians and Copts.

The letter, which was signed by "the Messiah, Son of David," quoted Jewish sources who hold that Christianity is a form of idolatry and should be banned. 

The suspect said the message must be distributed to the community through the media by 1700 GMT Tuesday, saying every hour of delay would "cost the lives of 100 Christian souls."

Reacting to the vandalism, police spokesman Rosenfeld said "crimes committed for nationalist motives are extremely serious."

President Shimon Peres apologised to the mayor of Fureidis in the name of Israel's citizens, and said in remarks relayed by his office "we will do our utmost to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice."

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni also condemned the incidents.

"Whoever did these deeds is not part of my people," she wrote on her Facebook page, pledging to "catch and punish" those responsible. 

The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries in the Holy Land said there was "a grave and increasing frequency of what are called 'price tag' attacks, which, in the absence of any real response, are becoming a dangerous phenomenon, threatening one and all."

Denouncing the attacks in Tabgha, the letter to the bishop and the Fureidis attack, it demanded "a thorough and serious investigation of those who incite, on an almost daily basis, against those who differ from them in opinion or belief.

"We pray that the events of yesterday and today might be the last of these criminal events, witnessed by our holy places and religious symbols in this Holy Land," its statement added.

Politically motivated acts of vandalism with their trademark Hebrew graffiti are euphemistically known as "price tag" attacks.

Carried out by suspected Jewish extremists, thought to be predominantly teenagers, the attacks initially targeted Palestinians and their property. They have since grown in scope to include Christian sites and anyone opposed to the settlements.

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• Israel vandals hit mosque, church as Christians threatened

Pope Francis forced to cancel Israel visit

Foreign Ministry source confirms trip planned for May scrapped due to ongoing strike by Israeli diplomats

By Raphael Ahren and Gavriel Fiske 

 Pope Francis dines with Argentine Jewish leaders. (photo credit: World Jewish Congress via JTA)

(The Times of Israel) Pope Francis has been forced to cancel his planned visit to Israel, which was to take place over May 24-26, due to the ongoing labor dispute at the Foreign Ministry.

A source at the ministry confirmed to The Times of Israel on Thursday that the pontiff’s trip was cancelled because Foreign Ministry workers are currently on strike and are unable to make the necessary arrangements for the high-profile visit.

The cancellation is likely to cause “large, measurable economic damage, with all the lost tourist revenue that would have accompanied the visit,” the source said.

In early January, Francis announced that he would be visiting Bethlehem and Jerusalem in May. He was also to travel to Amman. The Foreign Ministry said that, according to the Vatican, the pope’s visit won’t be able to be rescheduled, only cancelled.

On Wednesday, it was announced that British Prime Minister David Cameron was also forced to reschedule his planned visit to Israel due to the labor dispute. Cameron was due to address the Knesset on March 12.

“I just don’t see how it’ll be possible to go ahead with the visit without the cooperation of the Foreign Ministry,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told The Times of Israel on Wednesday.

Francis’s trip was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Orthodox Christian spiritual leader Ecumenical Patriarch Atengora, in Jerusalem.

The trip would have been the new pope’s second visit to the Holy Land. He arrived in Israel in 1973, just as the Yom Kippur War broke out. As The Times of Israel revealed in April, the young Jorge Mario Bergoglio spent six days confined by the conflict to his Jerusalem hotel, where he studied the Letters of Saint Paul to the Corinthians.

President Shimon Peres first invited Francis to Israel immediately after his election as pope, calling on him to visit as a spiritual — not a political — leader. “The sooner you visit, the better; in these days, a new opportunity is being created for peace, and your arrival could contribute significantly to increasing the trust and belief in peace,” Peres told the pope at the time.

Both of the pontiff’s immediate predecessors visited Israel — Benedict XVI in 2009 and John Paul II in 2000.

The Israeli diplomats’ strike also threatens the planned visit of Peres to China, which has not been officially confirmed, but is planned for April. Israel’s embassy in China said this week that it was halting work on the planned visit by Peres to Beijing, as well as many other diplomatic projects, as part of labor sanctions initiated by workers who are demanding better pay from the Finance Ministry.

The Workers Union, which is fighting for higher salaries and better working conditions for diplomats serving abroad, published a list of more than two dozen measures that took effect as of Tuesday. For instance, Foreign Ministry officials will no longer cooperate in organizing visits of foreign presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers and other officials. Likewise, the diplomats will henceforth refuse to assist Israeli officials currently abroad or planning overseas trips. No diplomatic passports will be issued and “no assistance whatsoever” will be granted to Israeli officials abroad. In addition, all consular services to Israeli citizens are suspended; exceptions will only be made in cases where lives are in danger, or bodies need to be returned to Israel for burials.

Furthermore, the ministry is temporarily suspending any cooperation with government institutions, specifically the Finance Ministry but also the Shin Bet and Mossad intelligence services and the IDF. No diplomatic cables are being sent by diplomats and the cadets course and distribution of pro-Israel public diplomacy materials has been put on hold. Diplomats have been instructed to cease any contact with the United Nations, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council, and other international organizations, including peacekeeping missions on Israel’s borders, such as UNIFIL and UNDOF.

Last summer, the Workers Union initiated similar labor sanctions, which were suspended at the end of July when the diplomats and the Finance Ministry agreed to approach a mediator. But the talks broke down earlier this week with no result.

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• Pope Francis forced to cancel Israel visit

Church of the Holy Sepulchre in row over water bill

 

The church is a major pilgrimage site for millions of visitors to the Holy Land

(BBC) The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem has warned that it may shut its doors to pilgrims in protest at a dispute with an Israeli water company. 

The church, where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified, has had its bank account frozen at the request of Hagihon over an unpaid $2.3m bill.

The dispute has left hundreds of priests, monks and teachers unpaid.
The church has traditionally not been charged for water, but Hagihon says it is owed money for the past 15 years.

'Unjustified step'

According to the Israeli newspaper Maariv, there was a tacit agreement between the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem - which, along with the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate and the Roman Catholic Franciscan Custos, is jointly responsible for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre's administration - and a former mayor of the city that the church would be exempt from water bills.

But in 2004, Hagihon sent a demand to the church for 3.7m shekels ($950,000; £590,000). It was backdated to when the company took over the water supply in the late 1990s.

The Patriarchate reportedly believed it was a mistake because Hagihon did not press it to pay. The company is now demanding that the bill, which has risen to 9m shekels ($2.3m; £1.4m) including interest, be settled. A Hagihon spokesman said Israeli law did not permit any exemptions.

The company had not taken other enforcement steps, such as shutting off the water supply, in order not to disrupt activities at the site, he added.

Father Isidoros Fakitsas, Superior of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, told the Associated Press that an agreement had been reached with Hagihon a few weeks ago.

Under the deal, various denominations of the church would pay their monthly bill and the 9m-shekel debt was to be forgotten, he said.

But to his surprise the Patriarchate's bank account was blocked, making it impossible to pay stipends to some 500 priests and monks, 2,000 teachers and the running costs of more than 30 schools.

According to Maariv, other services have also been affected, including telephones, internet and electricity, as well as companies supplying food.

Father Fakitsas said the Patriarchate would be able to function despite the frozen bank account and that it would try to find an alternative if matters became too difficult, such as opening another bank account.

Patriarch Theophilos III wrote a letter to Israel's prime minister and president warning that the "enforcement of this unjustified step undermines the sanctity and offends the sensitivity of the site".

He told Maariv: "If nothing changes we intend to announce... for the first time in centuries, that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is closed."

The other Christian denominations which jointly manage the church are said to support the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in its battle.

The Israeli tourism ministry said the issue was between the Patriarchate and the Jerusalem municipality, but that it was trying to mediate between them and hoped that the dispute would be resolved quickly.

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• Church of the Holy Sepulchre in row over water bill

Catholic Bishops Criticize Israel on Palestinians

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: January 14, 2010

Filed at 10:04 a.m. ET

JERUSALEM (AP) -- A high-level delegation of Roman Catholic bishops criticized Israeli polices in Arab sectors of Jerusalem on Thursday and called for more contacts between ordinary Israelis and Palestinians.

The group of eight bishops from North America and Europe said violence, insecurity, the route of Israel's West Bank separation barrier, home demolitions and other policies threaten peace prospects and endanger the dwindling Christian presence in the Holy Land.

The issue of Jerusalem -- home to holy sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims -- remains the most flammable in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinians claim the city's eastern sector as the capital of their future state. Israel, which captured east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war, insists the city will never be divided.

In a statement issued at the end of their annual visit, the bishops called for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

''For us, this is not merely about politics; it is an issue of basic human rights,'' the statement said.

During their visit, the bishops visited Christian institutions in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, talked with Palestinians about their lives and listened to presentations from Israeli and Palestinian experts. It was unclear if they met with ordinary Jewish Israelis.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev disputed the group's criticisms of Israel's east Jerusalem policies.

''Only since reuniting Jerusalem in 1967 have the holy places of all faiths been protected under law and freedom of religion has prevailed,'' he said.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the bishops spoke of watching Palestinian children cross Israeli checkpoints to return from school and the humiliation Palestinians say they feel at such places. Israel says the crossings are necessary to prevent attacks.

Bishop Gerald Kicanas, vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the human rights situation for Palestinians in the Holy Land has gotten worse during the 20 years that he has been visiting the region.

Kicanas, also the bishop of Tucson, Arizona, said Israeli and Palestinian youth lack opportunities to meet each other.

''Unless they find a way to engage one another, to meet one another as ordinary human beings, the situation will remain grave,'' he said.

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Top photo: (AP) Seen from left, French Bishop Michel Dubost, German Bishop Stephan Ackermann, Canadian Bishop Pierre Morissette, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal, third right, Italian Archbishop Riccardo Fontana, second right, and US Bishop Gerald Kicanas, right, listen to English Bishop William Kenney CP, center, during a press conference concerning the release of the final communique of the 10th Holy Land Coordination in Jerusalem's Old City, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010.
Right side photo: (AP) US Bishop Gerald Kicanas is seen during a press conference concerning the release of the final communique of the 10th Holy Land Coordination in Jerusalem's Old City, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010.

Israel, Vatican to hold talks over Church property

(AFP) JERUSALEM — A top Israeli official was headed to the Vatican on Wednesday for a new round of talks on long-standing disputes over Church property in the Holy Land and other issues that have marred ties.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon will head an Israeli delegation at the plenary meeting of the joint economic commission starting Thursday, according to a ministry statement, which sounded an upbeat note despite the continuing, deep-rooted disagreements.

The negotiations "are in their final stages after reaching significant understandings in recent months," mainly on issues of taxation and the legal status of Vatican personnel, it said.

But senior officials told AFP that, despite much agreement between the two sides, differences remain over the status of more than 100 Church properties in Israel, occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

In the case of six sites in Jerusalem and the Galilee area, Israel rejects demands that the Church be granted full control of its property, and wishes to maintain a right to expropriate sections of the sites for future public infrastructure works.

"We will insist on our right to expropriate" Vatican property in case the need arises, the statement said.

A senior official involved in the talks said "the disagreement is over the future of the land surrounding the sites and what the state could do with them... The state wants to be allowed to use it for infrastructure work."

The most contentious property is the Cenacle, which Christians believe to be the site of the Last Supper and which is located on the second floor of the ancient Mount Zion building that houses King David's tomb.

"Everything that has to do with Jerusalem and Mount Zion will remain under full Israeli sovereignty. The issue is not on the table," the official said.

Another source of discord is the status of the Hospice of the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, which cares for Palestinians with severe physical and mental handicaps.

Israeli developers have long been interested in the sprawling site, which sits on prime real estate just outside the Christian quarter walls of the Old City.

Under a bilateral agreement signed in 1993, which marked a historic rapprochement between Israel and the Vatican, a joint commission was set up to resolve the financial and real estate issues, notably in territory occupied by the Jewish state after 1967.

Negotiations have sputtered ever since they resumed in 2004 after a 10-year hiatus.

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Ancient Artisans' Footprints Discovered Beneath Lod Mosaic

by Hana Levi Julian

(IsraelNN.com) The ancient footprints of the artisans who built a stunning 1,700-year-old mosaic floor in Lod were discovered recently, when conservators from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) were in the process of detaching the huge work of art from the ground.

IAA conservators working on the mosaic (Israel news photo: Niki Davidov / IAA)

As the conservation experts worked on the plaster bedding to be done before detaching the mosaic, they were surprised to notice there were ancient foot and sandal prints beneath it. Clearly, the builders that had worked on the floor sometimes wore their sandals, and sometimes worked in their bare feet.

A sandal print shows that sometimes the builders wore their shoes (Israel news photo: Niki Davidov / IAA)

"It's exciting. This is the first time I have ever encountered personal evidence such as this under a mosaic," said Jacques Neguer, head of the IAA Art Conservation Branch, who referred to it as "a real archaeological gem that is extraordinarily well-preserved." When removing a section of mosaic, it is customary to clean its bedding, and that way study the material from which it is made, and the construction stages, Neguer explained. "We look for drawings and sketches that the artists made in the plaster and marked where each of the tesserae will be placed."

Neguer said this is also what happened with the Lod mosaic. "Beneath a piece on which vine leaves are depicted, we discovered that the mosaic's builders incised lines that indicate where the tesserae should be set, and afterwards, while cleaning the layer, we found the imprints of the feet and sandals, sizes 34, 37, 42 and 44." At least one imprint of a sole resembled a modern sandal, he added. Based on the concentration of foot and sandal prints, "it seems that the group of builders tamped the mortar in place with their feet."

Bare foot prints were also found beneath the Lod mosaic (Israel news photo: Niki Davidov / IAA)

The mosaic is one of the largest and most magnificent ever seen in Israel, but although it was discovered in 1996, it was covered over again when no resources could be found for its conservation. Thirteen years later, the IAA received a contribution from the Leon Levy Foundation specifically earmarked for the preservation and development of the Lod site. The mosaic was re-excavated, exhibited to the public, and then conservators began the delicate process of removing it from the area for treatment in the IAA conservation laboratories in Jerusalem.

Measuring approximately 180 square meters, the mosaic is composed of colorful carpets that depict in exquisite detail mammals, birds, fish, floral species and sailing and merchant vessels that were in use at the time. It is believed that the mosaic floor was part of a villa that belonged to a wealthy man who lived during the Roman period.

The Lod mosaic is one of the largest and most magnificent ever discovered in Israel (Israel news photo: Niki Davidov / IAA)

The site, which is located in the eastern section of Lod, next to the entrance at Ginnaton Junction, is intended to become a springboard for tourism to the city. It is situated between HeHalutz and Struma Streets, which lead to the open air market and to the city's center.

"It is fascinating to discover a 1,700 year old personal mark of people who are actually like us, who worked right here on the same mosaic," Neguer remarked. "We feel the continuity of generations here."

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Israel may be ready to back two-state solution

Pope Benedict XVI (R) shakes hands with Israeli President Shimon Peres (L) during his departure ceremony at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv. The pope on Friday called for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict and slammed the Holocaust as "brutal extermination" as he wound up a Holy Land tour. (AFP/Jonathan Nackstrand)

May 16 01:50 PM US/Eastern
By AMY TEIBEL
Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM (AP) - On the eve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's crucial visit to Washington, his defense minister suggested Saturday the Israeli leader might be ready to endorse a Palestinian state when he meets President Barack Obama.

That would be a significant shift for Netanyahu, who has made clear in the past that he does not think the Palestinians are ready to rule themselves. But that position has put him at odds with long-standing U.S. policy that supports Palestinian statehood as the cornerstone of Mideast peace efforts.

"I think and believe that Netanyahu will tell Obama this government is prepared to go for a political process that will result in two peoples living side by side in peace and mutual respect," Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Channel 2 TV on Saturday.

Barak said he thought an agreement with the Palestinians could be achieved within three years. However, he did not explicitly use the word state in his remark, leaving open other options for Netanyahu...

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Pope encourages Holy Land's 'little flock' at site of Last Supper

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI encouraged the "little flock" of Christians in the Holy Land to persevere as a vital presence in society and a witness to unity in the troubled region.

The pope met with the bishops of the Holy Land May 12 in the chapel of the Cenacle, which tradition says is the "upper room" of Jesus' Last Supper and the place where the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles at Pentecost.

He sought to bring energy and hope to a flock that has decreased drastically. Over the last 40 years, the Christian population in the Holy Land has gone from about 20 percent of the population to about 2 percent.

In a speech, the pope said one key element for the church's future is an effort to build unity among its various branches.

The Christian presence in the Holy Land, he said, is of "vital importance for the good of society as a whole." The church, though small in numbers, can act as a leaven in society, transforming hearts and shaping actions, and promoting a "climate of peace in diversity."

The pope said the church must avoid the temptation to "turn in upon ourselves in selfishness or indolence, isolation, prejudice or fear." It should carry out its mission in the Holy Land with frankness and courage, he said.

The pope commended the bishops for setting up assistance programs for local Catholics, and told them they could also count on his support. The Holy See coordinates funding for hundreds of projects and programs for the people in the region.

Pope Benedict cited Jesus' words in St. Luke's Gospel: "Fear not little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

Afterward, the pope visited Jerusalem's Latin-rite co-cathedral, kneeling in eucharistic adoration and greeting the 300 people who gathered inside. Before the pope arrived, seminarians briefly unfurled a Palestinian flag from a balcony.

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Pope Brings Hopes and Sufferings to Western Wall

Jerusalem, Israel, May 12, 2009 (CNA).- Just a few minutes after 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Pope Benedict XVI paid a visit to the Western Wall, known as the “Wailing Wall,” and placed a prayer in the wall asking for peace in the Holy Land and the Middle East.

The Holy Father was welcomed to the Western Wall—the only remaining retaining wall of the Second Temple—by the Chief Rabbi and several other rabbis.

After remarks by the Israeli Minister of Tourism, Stas Misezhnikov, and the Rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinovitch, the Pope read Psalm 120 in Latin and then placed a prayer in the Western Wall.

The full prayer reads:

God of all the ages,

on my visit to Jerusalem, the "City of Peace",

spiritual home to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike,

I bring before you the joys, the hopes and the aspirations,

the trials, the suffering and the pain of all your people throughout the world.

God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,

hear the cry of the afflicted, the fearful, the bereft;

send your peace upon this Holy Land, upon the Middle East,

upon the entire human family;

stir the hearts of all who call upon your name,

to walk humbly in the path of justice and compassion.

"The Lord is good to those who wait for him,

to the soul that seeks him!”

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Pope: I come to pray at the holy places for peace

Peres wants to hand over Christian sites in Israel to Vatican

By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service

President Shimon Peres is urging the government to yield control of key Christian holy sites to the Vatican, a position that is believed to be opposed by Interior Minister Eli Yishai.

The Vatican's longstanding demand that Israel transfer sovereignty of key Christian sites to the control of the Holy See has created dissension among senior officials in Jerusalem.

The Interior Ministry has vowed to retain control of the sites, calling relinquishment a "sacrifice" of Israeli sovereignty.

"This matter is under the minister's authority, and he is not prepared to sacrifice Israeli sovereignty, even if it is only symbolic," Yishai's spokesman Roi Rachmanovitch said.

Peres is pressing the government to agree to the Vatican's request that Israel surrender control of six religious sites, among them the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth; the Coenaculum on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, where Jesus is said to have held The Last Supper; the Gethsemane, which sits at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem; Mount Tabor; and the Church of the Multiplication, which hugs the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee.

Peres is lobbying Yishai to concede the sites to the Catholic Church, Army Radio reported.

"If we were sure that this great gift to the Christian world would bring millions of Christian pilgrims here, then we would have a good reason to think about [agreeing to the demand]," Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov told Army Radio. "But since we are not certain that this will happen, why should we hand out gifts?"

The dispute between Jerusalem and the Holy See threatens to cast a pall over next week's historic visit to the Holy Land by Pope Benedict XVI. Vatican officials have made clear that they intend to reiterate their demand during the visit that Israel hand over control of the Coenaculum, Army Radio reported.

Israel gears up for papal visit

The police and the security establishment have no specific information about potential attacks targeting Pope Benedict XVI, who is scheduled to visit Nazareth on May 14, the northern district police commander said on Sunday.

Speaking at a briefing ahead of the pontiff's visit, Maj. Gen. Shimon Koren said the police will deploy thousands of personnel around the site of the planned mass on Precipice Mountain and at the Basilica of the Annunciation.

The police and the Shin Bet are providing security for the events.

Koren also said that as of Sunday, no requests had been filed to demonstrate against the Nazareth visit. The police will approve protest requests so long as they do not overshadow or disrupt the pope's visit, he said.

Senior police officers at the briefing included Amakim district head Brig. Gen. Zohar Dvir, who will be responsible for security at the basilica, and coastal district head Brig. Gen. Ronny Atias, who will be in charge of securing the mass on Precipice Mountain.

Starting May 13, police will block access to the sites and their approach roads. However, Koren said tourists and pilgrims in Nazareth will be allowed to move freely.

The services at the two sites are invitation only; invitees will be shuttled to the sites from pick-up points.

The Foreign Ministry on Sunday launched a Web site dedicated to the pope's visit.

The site - http://popeinisrael.org.il - is in eight languages (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Italian, German and Hebrew) and contains textual and audio-visual information on the papal pilgrimage, Israel-Vatican relations, and Christian communities and holy sites in Israel.

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Some scenes in the wadi of Mount Carmel

From FatherGeorgeBloggingLourdes:

"Coming out of the wadi of Mount Carmel, what is it that we see?"

Let’s take a closer look:

When I walked up into the wadi I was pursued by the sound of the loudspeakers, whose sound filled the entire wadi and beyond. If you’re thinking nasty thoughts, don’t. That’s useless. Pray that the truth in charity will conquer hearts and souls.

Anyway, much further up into the wadi, we come to the original foundation of the Carmelites, which was almost immediately destroyed by Islam. Here’s the chapel, partially rebuilt for you to get the idea. That’s the main entrance. Quite impressive architecture, really.

Here’s what’s left of the ad orientem altar and smaller side chapels. They didn’t like the sanctuary of the chapel either. If you’re thinking nasty thoughts, don’t. That’s useless. Pray that the truth in charity will conquer hearts and souls.

Here’s the new chapel, a fortress. There is constant vandalism. What’s that I see written on the side of the chapel? If you’re thinking nasty thoughts, don’t. That’s useless. Pray that the truth in charity will conquer hearts and souls.

Don’t forget, we are in the Holy Land here. The land is holy because of the blood of the martyrs and the blood of Christ which the land drank in.

As I write this, one of the O.C.D. fathers who has been here forever told me the pictures of the dove which accompanied me the other day is the first time he’s seen that kind of bird here. And he’s been here for a long time. Let’s see if we can find another picture of our friend:

Now, if you’re thinking good thoughts with that… Good! Please, continue!

Now, what would a wadi be without water? Here’s a short film:

More to come…"

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Israeli ambassador confirms Pope Benedict may wear cross at Western Wall

Rome, Italy, Mar 18, 2009 / 02:13 am (CNA).- Contrary to comments attributed to an Israeli rabbi, Pope Benedict XVI will not be barred from entering the holy area of Jerusalem’s Western Wall while wearing a cross.

On Tuesday the Jerusalem Post quoted Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, who oversees worship matters at the Western Wall, as saying that the Pope should not wear a cross during his visit to the area.

“It is not fitting to enter the Western Wall area with religious symbols, including a cross,” the rabbi reportedly said, according to SIR.

Mordechay Lewy, Israel’s Ambassador to the Holy See, issued a clarifying statement saying that the Jerusalem Post’s quotation was “misleading.”

Ambassador Lewy said that Israel will “respect, as a matter of course, the religious symbols of the Holy Father and of his entourage, as expected in accordance with rules of hospitality and dignity,” following the same procedure applied in Pope John Paul II’s papal visit to Israel in 2000.

“This was confirmed to a high Official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Jerusalem personally by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch,” the ambassador’s statement continued.

Pope Benedict is scheduled to visit the Western Wall on May 12 as part of his journey to the Holy Land.

• Israeli ambassador confirms Pope Benedict may wear cross at Western Wall
• Western Wall rabbi says pope should not wear cross at site

Vatican picks Nazareth as venue for papal mass

By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent

The large mass that Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate during his May visit to Israel will be held in Nazareth, and not in Haifa, as had been proposed.

Haaretz has learned that the Vatican made the decision last weekend following a visit by a Vatican delegation that met here with representatives of the two cities. The Christian historical associations with Nazareth tipped the scales in its favor despite some Vatican preference for Haifa.

Israel was notified Sunday about the plans for the mass, which is expected to attract tens of thousands of worshipers, although a formal announcement of the pope's visit and his schedule are only expected next week.

Speaking to Haaretz, Nazareth Mayor Ramez Jeraisi confirmed the details regarding the Vatican's decision on the venue of the mass, and said the city has begun making arrangements for the visit. The mayor indicated that Precipice Mountain will be the venue for the mass; it was prepared for such an event in 2000, when John Paul II visited Israel.

Jeraisi said he met Monday with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other officials, and that Nazareth was promised government help for the papal visit, including an allocation from the state budget.

The Nazareth municipality had been concerned about a possible Vatican preference for holding the mass in Haifa as the government believed Nazareth lacked the appropriate facilities. "We are pleased," Jeraisi said, "that in the end the Vatican took the correct and proper decision from our point of view, because no one can deny the status of Nazareth, and we will do whatever we can to ensure the visit and the mass will take place as they should, with the utmost success."

Vatican adviser Wadia Abu Nasser, who will accompany the pope on his visit, said the pope is scheduled to land at Ben-Gurion International Airport on May 11. The mass in Nazareth will take place on the 14th. The Vatican envoy in Israel will announce further details about the visit in the near future.

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Papal trip to Holy Land takes shape

By John Thavis
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI's planned trip to the Holy Land was slowly taking shape in February, and the tentative schedule included a number of important pastoral and interreligious events.

The proposed itinerary would take the pope to Jordan May 8-11, for a visit to the new King Hussein Mosque in Amman, meetings with Jordanian officials, a Mass for Catholics in a soccer stadium, a stop at Jesus' baptism site at the Jordan River and a pilgrimage to Mount Nebo, where Moses once looked out at the Promised Land.

The pope would travel from Jordan to Israel May 11 and visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem the same day. Over the next three and a half days, he would visit the Western Wall, sacred to Jews; meet with Jewish and Muslim leaders; hold talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders; visit a Palestinian refugee camp; and celebrate Mass in Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem.

Before returning to Rome May 15, the tentative schedule calls for the pope to hold a brief ecumenical encounter and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. There was talk of a papal stop in war-devastated Gaza, but Vatican sources said there were no firm plans for such an event; instead, a delegation of Gaza residents was expected to attend one of the papal Masses.

The Vatican's chief papal trip planner was expected to meet with local organizers in late February to work out a definitive schedule for the visit.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Antonio Franco, the Vatican nuncio to Israel and Palestinian territories, said the importance of the papal visit to the small Catholic community in the Holy Land should not be overlooked.

"The visit of the pope is that of the spiritual head of the Catholic community, and so he is coming to visit his children who are here, in Jordan and the Holy Land," Archbishop Franco told the Italian news agency SIR.

"One hopes that everyone who wants to come will be able to breathe the atmosphere of peace that will surely be created during the visit, and to listen to a message of peace and reconciliation that can stimulate people to build a better world," he said.

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Catholics Decry Anti-Christianity in Israel

Protest "Horrible Offenses" on TV

JERUSALEM, FEB. 19, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Leaders of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land are condemning the "revolting attacks" against Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, broadcast by Israel's Channel 10 television.

A joint communiqué issued Wednesday explains, "In these days, during a night show on Channel 10, a series of horrible offenses were launched against our faith and consequently against us, Christians."

The communiqué was signed by the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem and the Franciscan custos of the Holy Land, among others.

"The show directed its attacks to the holiest figures of our Christian belief in an attempt, as the director of the show himself specifically declared, to destroy Christianism," the communiqué stated.

"Channel 10 was used to desecrate the holiest figures of Christianism offending hundreds of thousands of Christian Israeli citizens and of many millions of Christians all over the world as well," the Catholic leaders lamented.

Channel 10 began its activities in 2002.

The Catholic leaders contended that the program was "a symptom of greater problems disturbing the society, such as intolerance, refusal to accept and respect the other and inherent hatred."

And they said that the program comes in a series of attacks on Christians in Israel over the years. They cited an occurrence from a few months ago, when "copies of the New Testament were publicly burned in the yard of a synagogue in Or Yehuda."

The statement expressed appreciation for the many Christians, Muslims and Jews who "were themselves shocked and appalled, and expressed their dismay and protest at this fact."

The leaders contended that "such programs have nothing to do with freedom of expression, art and entertainment. They can only work against national integration and harmony in our society."

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