Everyone following Pope Francis through his travel in the Holy Land was shocked when he ordered his vehicle to stop so he could pray at the wall which separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem.
“He got down from the Popemobile and walked up to the wall,” said the Rev Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman. “He remained there for some minutes, praying silently. He then touched the wall with his forehead.”
The Pope reportedly chose a place at the wall directly below a watchtower manned by Israeli soldiers.
The move delighted Palestinians who had previously been celebrating the Pope’s references to the “state of Palestine.” The flight of the Pope from Amman, Jordan to Bethlehem was hailed by Palestinians as another recognition from the Pope that there should be a Palestinian homeland.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said that the Vatican recognized Palestine as a state a long time ago, so the language used by the Pope is nothing new. They restated their position that they disagree with the Vatican’s position and will continue to express their opposition to supporting people who seek the destruction of Israel.
Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram has released a video where they offer to release some of the girls they kidnapped in return for terrorists behind held in Nigerian prisons.
Terrorist leader Abubakar Shekau says in the 17-minute video that he will only release the girls that have not “submitted” to the terrorists, which from the video implies they have converted to Islam and are serving as slaves to the terrorists.
“The girls, these girls you occupy yourself with…we have indeed liberated them,” Shekau said. “These girls have become Muslims. We will never release them until after you release our brethren. Here I mean those girls who have not submitted.”
The international search for the kidnapped girls is now increasing in speed as teams from the United States and Great Britain arrive in Nigeria. The international effort is very diverse with countries as small as Israel sending in special forces units to help try to find and save the girls.
Former President Bill Clinton claims that Israel had offered control of the Temple Mount to the Palestinians in 2000 during negotiations Clinton called a “roaring success.”
In a speech at Georgetown University, Clinton said that Ehud Barak had agreed to give Yasser Arafat control of the holiest site in Judaism in return for Israel having total control of the area around the Western Wall.
The talks broke down when Arafat demanded to keep control 50 feet of land that leads up to the entrance of the Western Wall tunnels. Israel refused saying that Muslims would go into the tunnels and destroy the ruins of the Jewish temples.
Clinton said that Israel was likely justified in their refusal to protect the temple ruins.
Clinton added that the 2000 summit taught him that you need trust more than agreement. He said that without trust, there was no way to establish an agreement.
After the Palestinian leadership announced they have mended their rift with the terrorist group Hamas, Israel announced they will no longer participate in peace talks.
Hamas is considered a terrorist group by both Israel and the United States. The terrorist group refuses to acknowledge that Israel has a right to exist.
Israeli spokesmen said that no talks would be considered until a new unity government takes shape among the Palestinians and that no talks will ever take place if Hamas is backing the government.
The announcement of the ending of talks came after a six-hour conference of senior Israeli leaders.
Palestinian leadership has been trying to portray the move in a positive light by saying that the government will not be made up of people who are connected to Hamas.
Israel is preparing for the annual Passover amid heightened restrictions and concerns because of the crumbling peace process and questions about U.S. support for the nation.
Israel has sealed off the West Bank, barring any Palestinians from entering the West Bank as a protective measure against Muslim terrorist attacks during one of the Holiest weeks of the year. Israeli police are also restricting Jerusalem holy sites.
However, Israel is doing more than just preparing for their own citizens to celebrate the holiday. The country has been working to provide Passover wine, matzo and other items for the celebration for Jews trapped in countries around the world where their lives are at risk.
An Arab Israeli politician has been proving to Jewish communities in Muslim countries including the war-torn nation of Syria. Ayoub Kara refused to name the other nations where the supplies are being sent for security reasons.
The “festival of freedom” includes most of the nation shutting down in the evenings for celebrations with friends and family.
U.S Secretary of State John Kerry made a pointed attack at Israel, essentially blaming them for problems with the peace process.
While Kerry paid lip service to the actions of both sides by saying that he saw “unhelpful” actions on the parts of both the Israelis and Palestinians. However, the pointed parts of his comments were all pointed at Israel.
Kerry said that the problem that is imperiling the peace process is Israel’s announcement of 700 new housing units for Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem. The announcement came three days after Israel did not release Palestinian prisoners as demanded by the United States as part of the negotiations.
However, the actions were in response to the Palestinians attempting to get status with at least 15 United Nations organizations, a back door way to be established as a nation. Kerry did not criticize the Palestinians for inciting the crisis despite their actions coming first.
“Secretary Kerry,” an official in Mr. Netanyahu’s office told the New York Times, “knows that it was the Palestinians who said ‘no’ to continued direct talks with Israel in November; who said ‘no’ to his proposed framework for final status talks; who said ‘no’ to even discussing recognition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people; who said ‘no’ to a meeting with Kerry himself; and who said ‘no’ to an extension of the talks.”
A 1,500-year-old Byzantine monastery has been discovered in Israel according to the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The monastery is described as having been a place of Christian worship during the 6th century. The structure was found as part of an excavation before construction of a new highway through the Negev Desert.
The IAA said the structure was 65 feet wide by 115 feet long. Four rooms were found including a prayer room and a dining room. The mosaics on the floor were found to be typical of Christian mosaics of the time.
The mosaics also contained discretely placed crosses that obeyed an order from leaders of the time to not have crosses on the floor where someone could step on them.
In addition to the mosaic floors, the excavators discovered pottery, coins and glass that are believed to have been used as part of the worship of the time.
The discovered items are going to be removed from the site and moved to an agricultural and tourism project area.
The Obama Administration is reportedly considering the release of a jailed Israeli spy in an attempt to spur forward the stalled Israel/Palestine peace talks.
Jonathan Pollard, who pleaded guilty to spying for Israel in 1987 and was sentenced to life in prison, could be released as early as April according to sources close to Secretary of State John Kerry.
Pollard, because he was sentenced before November 1, 1987, is eligible to be paroled on November 21, 2015 even without action by the Administration.
A declassified report on Pollard’s actions shows that Israel did not ask him to spy on the U.S. military or intelligence activities but rather to gain the U.S.’s information on Israel’s enemies in the Middle East and the Soviet Union.
The release of Pollard, who was given Israeli citizenship during his incarceration, has been a key item for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israeli has requested Pollard’s release multiple times as well as called for the government to show mercy in allowing him to attend events like his father’s funeral. The government as repeatedly denied any requests for mercy.
Israel has released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including convicted murderers, as part of the peace process negotiated by the United States.
Obama Administration officials, angry that Israel is refusing their demands in the ongoing peace talks to give land to the Palestinians, are making things harder for ordinary Israelis to enter the country.
In addition, the administration is blocking Israel from a special program that allows citizens to enter the country without a preapproved visa.
Countries on the list include the UK, Sweden, France, Germany, Japan and Taiwan. This means travelers from those countries with valid passports who meet the requirements of an electronic passport can enter the U.S. for 90 days without a visa. Israel has been attempting to be part of the 37 countries in the program.
When asked about their rejection, Obama officials refer to the country’s “treatment of Arab-American travelers.”
Rejections of visas to Israeli citizens have jumped a shocking 80 percent in the last year. The increase is so significant that political leaders such as Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York has called on the State Department to end “its widespread, arbitrary practice of denying young Israelis tourist visas.”
Israel, who until the recent administration was considered one of America’s closest allies, has been wondering why countries like Iceland and Latvia qualify for the special visa program while they are repeatedly rejected.
The Arab League has stated conclusively they will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
The members also said that Israel was the reason for a lack of progress in the peace process.
“We hold Israel entirely responsible for the lack of progress in the peace process and continuing tension in the Middle East,” the group said in a statement. “We express our absolute and decisive rejection to recognizing Israel as a Jewish state.”
The declaration by the Arab League is seen as a serious blow to the peace process as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said one of Israel’s unbending demands is recognition of the country by Arab nations.
Netanyahu believes that without recognition of Israel, there will be no way that anyone can have peace with the Jewish people.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in the region today to try and nudge the stalled peace process.