Citizens of Jerusalem welcome -- or in other cases, tolerate -- the papal pilgrimage

• The Jerusalem Police on Monday morning sealed off a conference hall at the Ambassador Hotel in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, following the Palestinian Authority's plan to hold a briefing for foreign and Palestinian journalists ahead of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Israel (YNet News):

  The auditorium was closed due to an order signed by Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, following intelligence information received by the police. Officers from the Jerusalem central unit's minority division arrived at the place with additional forces and presented the order, issued in accordance with the "implementation law", which states that any PA activity in all parts of Jerusalem is forbidden.

  The Palestinian prime minister's advisor for Jerusalem affair, Khatem Abdel Kader, protested:

  "If the minister and the Israelis think that by closing the media center they can thwart our preparations to greet the pope and cover his visit – they are mistaken," he said.

A Palestinian man stands near a welcome note to Pope Benedict XVI on a wall near a section of Israel's separation barrier near the Aida Refugee Camp on May 12, 2009. May 12, 2009. Source: Associated Press

• Two Bethlehem University students were detained on their way to participate in an interfaith conference with Pope Benedict XVI Tuesday, university officials said (Maan News Agency):

  According to BU the two men were stopped and then denied entry to Jerusalem by Israeli authorities. The delegates were faculty members at the university, university alumni and Bethlehem-area natives. The reasons for their denial were not explained.

  “Unfortunately” the university commented, “this experience is common for our students, faculty and staff, many of whom navigate a maze of checkpoints, soldiers and other structures of military occupation simply to be present on campus.”

• For and against: Jerusalemites and the papal visit, by Abe Selig (Jerusalem Post):

  Residents of the capital exhibited a range of emotions about the pope's visit on Tuesday, as closed roads and beefed-up security snarled traffic and people were forced to either alter their routine, or suffer the consequences.

  "It was quite bad getting in this morning," one commuter said, as she sat outside a cafe near the city center. "But I heard that by the afternoon already, things were getting better."

  But others reflected on lost business and a general difficulty in getting things done, as Benedict's motorcade and a huge apparatus of Jerusalem police, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) agents and assorted government officials clogged parts of downtown throughout the morning.

• Haaretz reports that Pope Benedict XVI will be staying at the home of the Vatican's ambassador to Israel, located on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem -- "standard protocol," according to Vatican officials.

• From Salt Lake City's Desert News, a story on Brigham Young University's Jerusalem Center, which is hosting 5 members of the Pope's entourage:

  "We're cooperating with them so that they're close by to where he is staying, and they're available to him and can easily travel with him wherever he goes," said S. Kent Brown, assistant director of the BYU Jerusalem Center.

  Brown, who has previously served as the center's director, said leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have maintained a good relationship with Archbishop Antonio Franco, the Apostolic Nuncio to Israel — or the papal ambassador to Israel — whose official residence is next door to the center.

• Depeche Mode, the pope and Lag Ba'omer (Jerusalem Post) -- while the arrival of the Pope and 80's rock band garner media attention, Yonatan Seredni reminds his Jewish readers of another celebration. (For more about Lag Ba'omer, click here).

Meanwhile, in Aida Refugee Camp, Palestinian construction continues on a stage the Pope may never visit

YNet News reports that despite an Israeli ban, and the high chance the Pope may not even visit, Palestinians continue to place finishing touches on Bethlehem amphitheatre near separation fence:

It is not clear whether, as Palestinian officials here say, the Vatican at first endorsed, then rejected, the site.

"When we started to work on this stage, a group from the Catholic church came to check our work. They told us to raise the eastern side of it, to make it more secure for the pope when he stands on the stage," said Monther Ameera, coordinator of his visit to the refugee camp.

But instead, Benedict is due to meet pupils at Aida's United Nations-run school which stands nearby.

Tom Heneghan (Reuters' FaithWorld) reports on the "Politics of a papal photo op in Bethlehem":

I got a look at the wannabe reception theatre this morning during a pre-papal visit tour of Bethlehem with Doug Hamilton, a correspondent in our Jerusalem bureau, and our Bethlehem stringer Mustafa Abu Ganeyeh. The perspective the Palestinians want is striking. The graffiti-filled wall, which Israel says is for security and the Palestinians denounce as oppressive, runs along one side of the theatre. Behind the stage where the pope would stand is a menacing watchtower. The atmosphere is grim.

However, he adds:

In fact, the wall will appear on television screens around the world even if Benedict doesn’t stop at the small theatre. It is clearly visible from the schoolyard where he will meet teachers and pupils and it would surprising if the cameras didn’t pan across the scene to show the wall. The graffiti, some of which is quite witty, might not be legible, but the image will certainly come across.

Palestinian artist Walid Ayyoub draws a portrait depicting Pope Benedict XVI in the West Bank city of Ramallah May 10, 2009. Source: Reuters

An Israeli man assembles Vatican flags at a textile factory in Jerusalem on May 10, 2009 . Source: Getty Images

A Palestinian boy paints graffiti on a section of Israel's separation barrier in Aida refugee camp, ahead of Pope Benedict XVI visit, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Sunday, May 10, 2009 Source: Associated Press

Vatican informs Palestinian officials that papal visit will be held at United Nations school; plans scrapped to host pope near barrier

Hopes to politicize the Pope's visit to Bethlehem may hit a snag, with news that the The Vatican has informed Palestinian officials that the papal visit will be held at a nearby United Nations school instead of on the stage they were preparing for him. Ilene R. Prusher reports for `the Christian Science Monitor:

There is no other venue in the world with a backdrop quite like this one. It sits in the looming shadow of the West Bank separation barrier built by Israel, complete with a forbidding watchtower. The massive concrete slabs here are painted with anti-Israeli graffiti, calls for Palestinian freedom, and a white patch on which the camp's community center sometimes screens films. From the point of view of Palestinians who live here, there is no vista which conveys their reality better than this one.

"We want to show the pope the wall, and the big prison that the Israelis have put us in," says Samir Oudeh, head of the Popular Committee of Aida Refugee Camp, as he stands atop the long, narrow, open-air theater that hugs the wall. "This is our catastrophe, and we know that they don't want the world to see it."

Vatican officials made several visits here in recent weeks, but about a week ago, says Mr. Oudeh, he was informed that the pope would speak in a nearby school – and not on the stage. "We learned later that the Israelis put pressure on the Vatican to change the venue," he says.

An Israeli official in Jerusalem rejects the claim that Israel interfered with the decision, but expressed approval of the Holy See's move to avoid "politicizing" the papal visit. [...]

The local welcome committee for the pope, however, has decided to march on with their plans, setting the stage for a less-than-comfortable atmosphere on the eve of the visit.

Read the rest of the CSM report.

• Palestinian lawmaker Essa Qaraqie confirmed that the Palestinian Authority has scrapped plans to receive Pope Benedict XVI during his Holy Land visit next week on a stage next to Israel's West Bank separation barrier. (Associated Press)
• Palestinian advocacy groups on Thursday urged Pope Benedict XVI to speak out during his visit to the Holy Land against what they said are "atrocities" committed against their people by Israel. (AFP)
• Adnan Husseini, special advisor to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, that there is a “war for each piece of land ... every tile in the house”; and he intends on getting the Pope involved (Israel National News)

Palestinians, Israelis vie for Pope Benedict's attention to their cause

An AsiaNews.it article by Abib Khoury gives some indication of how the residents of Refugee Camp Aida plan on greeting the Holy Father May 4, 2009:

The program for this visit is in its final stages and plans that the pope will be welcomed among the crowd divided into two wings with a children’s choir singing songs of welcome as well as murals and banners and Palestinian and Vatican flags. The visit is to last at least one hour. It will begin along the Security Barrier that Israel has built around all Palestinian localities to protect itself from terrorist attacks and which is the source of endless problems of movement for the Arab population. It will be followed by an exhibition which through images will seek to highlight the reality of the Palestinian situation and its history; a speech by the president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, and then an address by Benedict XVI.

The camp inhabitants want to present the pope with two gifts: a chain with a key attached to it, a link – they say - between the keys of St Peter and the “key to return” of the refugees (many refugees have kept the keys to their homes from which they were expelled or forced to flee, as a sign of their hope to go home). The second gift is a map of Palestine sculpted in Tiberiad rock.

For his visit to Bethlehem, the Mayor (a Christian) asked a local Muslim artist to inscribe and decorate a copy of the Gospel of Saint Luke. The artist 51 year-old Abu Sima, is a refugee who originally fled Iraq, the Jordan and who now resides in Bethlehem.

“Through this humble work – he declares – I wish to send out a message that the Muslim artist is a pacifist. And this despite the attacks that are carried out in various parts of the world by the hands of extremists, who exploit our religion for their own ends”.

Meanwhile, Breuer Press International has details on President Shimon Peres' official reception for Pope Benedict on May 11th:

The Pope will arrive at the President’s Residence at 16:05 and will be received by the President on a red carpet. Two children, a Christian and a Jew from Nazareth and Upper Nazareth, respectively, will present the Pope with a basket of fruit and will welcome him in English in Hebrew. The Pope will also be presented with the “Seven Species” of plants named in the Bible and other Israeli-made produce, including a new strand of wheat developed by the Volcani Center and named Benedict XVI after the Pope.

After the Pope enters the President’s Residence, the two will hold a working political meeting in the conference room. During the meeting, President Peres is expected to raise the strengthening of ties between Israel and the Vatican, the advancement of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, and the readiness of the people of Israel to make peace, and he will ask the Pope to increase his involvement in the making of peace in the Middle East. He will note that there is a special role for religious leaders in bringing about peace and breaking the connections between religion and terror.

Immediately following the meeting, there will be a tree-planting ceremony for a tree of peace - an olive tree in the garden of the President’s Residence, after which will begin the aforementioned ceremony with 700 representatives of all different walks of life in Israel.

At the celebratory reception, the Pope and President Peres will deliver speeches. This will be followed by an artistic event with the participation of Children’s Voices for Peace, a choir from the diverse community of Jaffa consisting of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian children who will sing the song “Hallelujah.”

Aida Refugee Camp expects Pope Benedict to plead their case

Catholic News Service's Judith Sudilovsky interviews various residents from the Aida Refugee Camp and their expectations for the papal visit (April 29, 2009):

When her children were growing up there was an open field opposite their apartment building and she would spend most of her time there, letting them tumble about as they enjoyed picnic lunches. Today, the building -- which has grown by four floors as sons and cousins have married and built apartments for their wives -- overlooks the stage in front of the Israeli separation barrier from which the pope will address the camp's 4,860 residents.

Palestinian workers build a stage next to Israel's separation barrier in the Aida refugee camp near the West Bank town of Bethlehem. Source: AP

While much of the camp is a jumble of narrow, sunless, garbage-strewn alleyways, on his visit the pope will be taken down the wide dusty main road to the stage abutting the wall, which separates the camp from Bethlehem.

"I don't know what he is coming to do," said Mourad Malash, 23, who is unemployed and spends his time between his home and the houses of his friends. "He should ask the youth how they feel. Can he find jobs for the people?"

According to the article, the Pontifical Mission for Palestine -- a Vatican-founded relief agency under the direction of the New York-based Catholic Near East Welfare Association -- is helping provide aid and assistance to the residents of the camp:

"The most important man in the world is coming here. He can bring thousand of journalists with him (to see our life here)," [Salah] Ajaram said. "He can be close to the wall and see how the wall separates our lives between our people. He is the one to talk about justice and peace. We feel there can be no justice without the right of return and the pope can take this message out with him.

"To stay in your country as a refugee is more difficult than living as one outside," Ajaram added.

Salah Ajaram, 36, is general manager of the camp's Lajee cultural center and a member of the coordinating committee for the pope's visit. (Read the rest of Catholic News Service's report).

Fouad Twal confirms Pope Benedict's intention to visit al-Aida refugee camp

According to YNet News, The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal has confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI will tour and preach at the al-Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, asserting that it symbolizes "the right of return and holds a message of peace, brotherhood, and justice".

The report provides further details on this past week's skirmish between Israel and Aida camp workers involved in preparations for the visit:

According to prior agreements the stage hosting the pope at al-Aida was intended to be built in a schoolyard, but Ynet has discovered that the Palestinians violated these agreements by constructing it near the separation fence. A demolition warrant was subsequently issued by the Civil Administration, and the stage must be relocated.

"The camp is a camp that symbolizes the refugees' suffering and their right of return," Twal said. "The fence will be seen from the location of the pope's seat, and in any case he will enter and exit the district of Bethlehem through the fence."

The Latin Patriarch added that he hoped to see cooperation on all sides in order for the tour to be successful.

Palestinian Authority: "Preparations for Pope Benedict to visit Aida Refugee Camp will move forward"

Updating a previous story, Ma'an News Agency reports that Preparations for Pope Benedict XVI to visit Aida Refugee Camp will move forward despite Israeli attempts to interfere in the planning:

The PA issued a statement late Friday night echoing concerns over an Israel attempting to shield the pope and the international community from seeing the oppressive and discriminatory practices meted out on the Palestinians.

Israeli troops stormed Aida camp Wednesday and raided a meeting of the preparatory committee for the Papal visit. Committee members were harassed and questioned then informed that because the camp is in Area C - i.e. under Israeli civil and military control - that organizers must get a special permit to hold celebrations for the pope.

Thus far the only coverage of "Israeli harrassment" has been from Palestinian sources; we'll keep you apprised if we hear anything in terms of reactions, either from Israeli sources and/or the Vatican.

Clash between Israelis and Palestinians at Aida Refugee Camp

There has been a clash of sorts between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian workers involved in preparing the Aida Refugee Camp for Pope Benedict's visit. The Palestine News Network describes "an invasion of Israeli forces":

Some five military patrols stormed the area and sealed it. They stopped all work and began photographing and using video cameras. The Israelis demanded to see “who is responsible for the work.”

Camp director on the subject, Ibrahim Abu Sorour oversees any project, construction or renovation.

However, the Israelis today claimed northern Bethlehem’s Aida Refugee Camp, which is now blocked on one side by the Wall, as Area C, meaning in Oslo terms “under Israeli civil and military control.” Israeli forces said therefore, Palestinians in the refugee camp must obtain an Israeli license before doing any work. ...

According to the Maan News Agency conveys the account of press officer for the official Palestinian committee to welcome the Pope to the camp, Munjid Jado:

[F]ive soldiers entered the camp and stopped the committee from working, questioning them and videotaping them. ...

Camp official Ibrahim Abu Srur then arrived at the scene. He was told by the soldiers that Aida camp lies in Area C of the West Bank, under Israeli military jurisdiction, and that the committee would therefore need a special permit for its activities.

Following this, another Israeli official arrived and attempted to distribute a written order to stop work. The committee workers refused to accept the paper, at which time soldiers posted the order on the walls of buildings near the square where the pope is to be received.

The Palestine News Network cites Bethlehem Governer Salah Ta’mari as responding:

“The Israeli practices are clear evidence pointing to Israel's quest to create obstacles for the visit of His Holiness the Pope to Bethlehem and Aida Refugee Camp. [The Israelis] want to prevent exposure of their repressive practices against the Palestinian people.”

“To this day the Palestinian people face various kinds of repression and torture, which is reflected in Aida Refugee Camp. Murder and displacement are noticeable.”

“Israel is attempting to disrupt the completion of the site which will be the story of the Palestinian people to the world during the visit of His Holiness to Bethlehem, which will include much of the western media.”

A Palestinian earthmover clears the ground where a stage will be built Pope Benedict XVI's May 11-15 visit to the Holy Land on April 22, 2009 in front of a section of Israel's separation barrier in the Aida refugee camp in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.