This past week, Pope Benedict XVI traveled to Jordan, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Because he is a pope whose past comments have rankled Muslims and Jews alike, many scrutinized his every move. Given the context of a renewed American and European push for peace, which is seen as being at odds with the new Israeli administration, his trip and message were mired in sensitivities.

Pope Benedict XVI leads a mass as a Palestinian flag is waved outside the Church of the Nativity, the site revered as the birthplace of Jesus, in Manger Square in the West Bank town of Bethlehem May 13, 2009. Pope Benedict went to the West Bank on Wednesday, offering Vatican support for a Palestinian state alongside Israel and his prayers for an end to Israel’s embargo on the Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

Before the 82-year-old Catholic church head even set foot on the ground, his trip was politicized. Israel pressured the pope not to meet the mayor of Sakhnin. The Palestinian-Israeli mayor had opposed Israel’s military assault on Gaza.
Likewise, Palestinians were seeking papal pressure on Israel on several matters. For instance, Palestinian leaders publicized their opposition to Israeli plans to demolish part of a Catholic church that was allegedly built without a permit.

Israel also rejected a plan to host the pope in an outdoor theater the Palestinians were building alongside Israel’s massive West Bank separation barrier in Aida refugee camp, one of the stops. The organizers had to build a smaller stage across the street, though the pope addressed the wall and posed for pictures in front of it.

Tension ran high in the lead-up to the visit. “The thing that worries me most is the speech that the pope will deliver here,” said Archbishop Fouad Twal, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, “One word for the Muslims and I’m in trouble; one word for the Jews and I’m in trouble. At the end of the visit the pope goes back to Rome and I stay here with the consequences.”

One dicey moment came at an interfaith meeting where an imam harshly criticized Israel. Though they exchanged pleasantries after the event, it was said to be cut short as a result of the imam’s harsh words, according to the Israeli press.

On the Israeli side, a few protestors verbally accosted the pope and the chief rabbi urged the pope to convince the world’s Jews they belong in Israel.

It is clear that both Israeli and Palestinian officials put a premium on the Holy See’s visit. Israel seeks outside legitimacy and positive publicity, especially after its three week onslaught in Gaza earlier this year. It also could encourage more tourism. Palestinians hope the pope brings visibility to their plight.

As part of the publicity war that erupted, Israel shut down a media center the Palestinians set up in Jerusalem to provide Palestinian official perspectives to media covering the pope’s trip. Israel has banned any official Palestinian activities in the contested city.

His stop at the birthplace of Jesus Christ, Bethlehem, highlighted the plight of the town’s residents, many of whom are Christian, although their numbers are thinning.

Continued expansion of Israeli settlements and their outposts, along with other punitive measures, have significantly reduced the availability of land for Palestinians, restricting their livelihoods and development, according to a new report by a U.N. humanitarian affairs agency.

Israeli expansionist measures have reduced to 13 per cent the availability of land in Bethlehem for Palestinian use, limited the area’s access to resources and restricted its potential for development, said a report by the U.N. Office for Coordination on Humanitarian Affairs (UCHA).

While the pope visited Bethlehem and the Aida refugee camp, Christians in Bethlehem were reminded of their thinning numbers. They cite the effects of the Israeli occupation, including the suffocating wall Israel built around the city, as making life there untenable.

In front of 10,000 on-lookers in Bethlehem, the pope said, “I know how much you have suffered and continue to suffer as a result of the turmoil that has afflicted this land for decades. My heart goes out to all the families who have been left homeless.”

He also referred implicitly to Israel’s 22-day offensive in Gaza, saying that “in a special way my heart goes out to the pilgrims from war-torn Gaza: I ask you to bring back to your families and your communities my warm embrace, and my sorrow for the loss, the hardship and the suffering you have had to endure.

“Please be assured of my solidarity with you in the immense work of rebuilding which now lies ahead and my prayers that the embargo will soon be lifted,” he said.

The pope called for a Palestinian state and said he prayed for an end to Israel’s embargo of Gaza. He also urged young Palestinians to “have the courage to resist any temptation you may feel to resort to acts of violence or terrorism.”

When the pope spoke at Aida refugee camp nearby, he called the towering wall Israel built around Palestinian areas a symbol of “stalemate.” He posed for pictures by the wall.

He also said he wanted to “express my solidarity with all the homeless Palestinians who long to be able to return to their birthplace, or to live permanently in a homeland of their own.” The audience clapped.

The pope added: “It is understandable that you often feel frustrated. Your legitimate aspirations for permanent homes, for an independent Palestinian state remain unfulfilled.”

In Nazareth, the largest Palestinian town in Israel, 40,000 met the pope. He celebrated mass on the Mount of Precipice before leaving for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Despite this pope’s legacy of work for Jewish-Catholic relations, Israeli critics felt the pope did not show enough emotion in his remarks on the Holocaust’s legacy. The chairman of Yad Vashem said the pope’s speech at the Holocaust memorial was not specific about Nazi responsibility or his own German background and did not show regret. Ha’aretz, a major Israeli newspaper, opined that a “sorry” would have been in order. This, combined with statements he made in support of the Palestinians, led to outrage among some in the public. Many moved to condemn him as a former Nazi youth.

Palestinian critics felt the pope spoke vaguely about their issues, missing an opportunity to make a stronger statement against the occupation.

Though the pope was welcomed everywhere he stopped, it is unclear whether any of the parties involved, even the Vatican, achieved what they had hoped. Only time will tell.