(Thanks to Paul Woodward and Bruce Wolman)
Related posts:
- Playwright David Zellnik on that ‘huge figure,’ Theodor Herzl
- Israelis said to violate another U.N. resolution
- Vermont Jew breaks personal taboo and decries Gaza as Warsaw Ghetto (Gaza effect in U.S. is still subterranean but Huge)
- ‘There’s actually a huge growing number of Jewish youth that are sickened by Israel…’
- Would any Prime Minister in the world declare: ‘I won’t be a sucker!’
{ 26 comments }
No, it's not. Not enough. Too little and too late.
Paul Woodward gives no source for this photo. It may well be a photoshop item. Don't get all idolatrous about it, anyhow.
Israeli security refused permission for Palestinian Authority for Pope's platform to be build because it had too much of the wall visible as a background. So I too wonder what is a source of this photo.
You may find this analysis by Jonathan Cook of the papal visit sobering: http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090514/FOREIG... though if he really "walked out" on Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi’s speech, Haaretz concealed the fact in their report of the event.
This article said the Israeli's nixed the platform for the usual reasons given, i.e., no permit, security risk: http://www.kiiitv.com/news/religion/43887987.html
The four most recent articles at Cook's own site are about the papal visit: http://www.jkcook.net/Latest.htm
Looks like bad photoshop product to me.
The NY Times has a photo of where he spoke, on a little stage inside a walled compound of a UN-run refugee school, the big wall no where in sight.
I have to agree. The lighting looks all wrong.
it's reuters: http://www.daylife.com/photo/05YA5ei0jTg3m?q=pope...
The photo comes from Reuters. A number of photos from Reuters and AP can be found here: http://warincontext.org/2009/05/15/the-pope-in-th... They all appear to have been taken from the same position, but they are multiple shots from multiple sources – this isn't a photoshop job. The Wall and observation tower can be also be seen in the background in this Al Jazeera video 0min 7sec: http://warincontext.org/2009/05/15/the-pope-in-th... The New York Times has now provided a much better quality photo that can be seen here: http://warincontext.org/2009/05/15/the-pope-in-th...
God Phil, you SUCK as a journalist!
Daylife has lots of versions of the same pictures, from all the major news agencies. Go to daylife.com and use pope bethlehem as a search term.
Well, well! Pope Benedict XVI gives a speech in front of the the controversial Israeli barrier during a visit to the Aida refugee camp in the West Bank town of Bethlehem May 13, 2009. Pope Benedict spoke in the shadow of the fortified Israeli wall dividing Bethlehem from Jerusalem on Wednesday, calling it a tragic symbol of deadlock in the struggle for peace in the Middle East. REUTERS/Tony Gentile (WEST BANK RELIGION POLITICS IMAGES OF THE DAY)
Amazing. Rina Castelnuovo, for the New York Times
RE: "I have to agree. The lighting looks all wrong.." MY COMMENT: The 'wall' is very much out of focus. I think it is probably quite some distance away from the Pope. I don't know much about photography*, but it is possible that by using the correct lens, aperture setting and exposure setting this photographer managed to accomplish (without using photoshop) what the Israeli's were trying to prevent. * I think it has to do with what is referred to as 'depth of field'. FROM WIKIPEDIA: In optics, particularly as it relates to film and photography, the depth of field (DOF) is the portion of a scene that appears sharp in the image. Although a lens can precisely focus at only one distance, the decrease in sharpness is gradual on either side of the focused distance, so that within the DOF, the unsharpness is imperceptible under normal viewing conditions. For some images, such as landscapes, a large DOF may be appropriate, while for others, such as portraits, a small DOF may be more effective. The DOF is determined by the subject distance (that is, the distance to the plane that is perfectly in focus), the lens focal length, and the lens f-number (relative aperture). Except at close-up distances, DOF is approximately determined by the subject magnification and the lens f-number. For a given f-number, increasing the magnification, either by moving closer to the subject or using a lens of greater focal length, decreases the DOF; decreasing magnification increases DOF. For a given subject magnification, increasing the f-number (decreasing the aperture diameter) increases the DOF; decreasing f-number decreases DOF. When focus is set to the hyperfocal distance, the DOF extends from half the hyperfocal distance to infinity, and is the largest DOF possible for a given f-number. The advent of digital technology in photography has provided additional means of controlling the extent of image sharpness; some methods allow DOF that would be impossible with traditional techniques, and some allow the DOF to be determined after the image is made….. SOURCE – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field
It is significant that the pope visited the occupied territories, and urged humaneness from all parties. He is doing the right thing in declaring his acknowledgement of church and European community's wrongs during and after WW2. And, he is doing the right thing in speaking for decency for Palestinians.
Comparing this NYT image to the Reuters image, I suspect that the 'wall' has been 'brought into focus' by means of digital enhancement. FROM WIKIPEDIA: The advent of digital technology in photography has provided additional means of controlling the extent of image sharpness; some methods allow DOF [depth of field] that would be impossible with traditional techniques, and some allow the DOF to be determined after the image is made….. SOURCE – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field
RE: "God Phil, you SUCK as a journalist!" MY COMMENT: And assuming that you are not actually Phil's wife, you SUCK as a human being. Why continue to suffer from mental problems when there are so many good psychiatrists around?
um…back to reality: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/16/world/middleeas... Now, the Pope is harping on the holocaust. Again. Don't forget the holocaust! The equivalent in audacity and bad taste would be lecturing Jews on their train ride to the death camps about all the people who died in the Peloponnesian War. The Pope! What a totally ludicrous embarrassment that guy is.
Chroniques de Palestine has some very good shots. See here and here. There's more on her slideshow. She is a great activist photographer.
The Pope! The Pope gets to go home! You know, ONE truly provocative statement about the conditions of horror imposed on the Palestinians from our dear Pope could do a lot. Regardless of what I happen to think about this or that religious figure, the guy has a massive following of (admittedly silly) people…kind of like audiences for Broadway musicals. He could stir things up. Instead he takes the opportunity to rhapsodize about war crimes in Europe 70 years ago. I can't claim he's more cowardly than others. But isn't God's designated press secretary supposed to be LESS cowardly?
Get over yourself, rykart, and see the forest for the trees. The divide and conquer garbage you are spewing is no different than the divide and conquer garbage spewed by others. Do you think it is a bad thing to try and raise awareness of the wall to millions of Catholics?
Hi Peaceful i guess I missed the part where the Pope explained to Catholics of the world that the wall is illegal under international law and must be torn down. Would you describe the Warsaw Ghetto as "A tragic symbol of deadlock in the struggle for peace" or would you describe it as the monstrous imposition of power over a defenseless citizenry by a wicked, amoral regime of thugs? If he's not prepared to speak honestly about conditions in the Occupied Territories (as other religious figures, including bishop desmond tutu have), he shouldn't bother. The israelis are raping his most sacred site–the supposed birthplace of Jesus, to impose their blood spattered hate on the population of Christians and Moslems alike. This is all he can muster, by way of outrage? To heck with him.
Hello Rykart, As one of the silly people you mention, I have to say that Pope Benedict has made statements to this effect: “Towering over us is a stark reminder of the stalemate that relations between Israelis and Palestinians seem to have reached,” he said in an address in the yard of a UN-run school. He stressed the need to demolish the “walls that we build around our hearts” and bring the conflict to an end. He added: “My earnest wish for you, the people of Palestine, is that this will happen soon, and that you will at last be able to enjoy the peace, freedom and stability that have eluded you for so long.” “It is understandable that you often feel frustrated,” the Pope, flanked on a podium by Mr Abbas and Salaam Fayyad, the Prime Minister, said. “Your legitimate aspirations for permanent homes, for an independent Palestinian state, remain unfulfilled. Instead, you find yourselves trapped in a spiral of violence.” He implored both sides to break that spiral, as Palestinian children performed a dance with giant keys, the symbol of lost ancestral homes inside what is now Israel. President Abbas took the opportunity to call on the new right-wing Government of Israel, which has refused to endorse the once-conventional idea of forging a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank, to renew peace talks held under its centrist predecessor, which had failed to yield any tangible results. “I call upon them to renounce occupation, settlements, arrests and humiliations,” he said. “Their security can only be attained through peace and their acceptance in this region will only be attained through peace.” http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090512/ap_on_re_mi_e... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090512/ap_on_re_mi_e... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090512/ap_on_re_mi_e... Some of this has been "cleaned up" by the MSM, such as Foxnews, CNN, etc, so maybe you have not heard of it. The MSM has put the "holocaust guilt" spin on much of what the Holy Father said. Although he did address this subject, it was certainly not the only thing that he addressed. And when he did address the holocaust, he was still criticized from the opposite end: "The pope spoke like a historian, as somebody observing from the sidelines, about things that shouldn't happen. But what can you do? He was part of them," said parliament speaker Reuven Rivlin. "With all due respect to the Holy See, we cannot ignore the baggage he carries with him." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090512/ap_on_re_mi_e...
Hi rebecca Are you not troubled by the language the Pope used? Everything is described in such a passive voice. The hideous wall is described as a symbol of "stalemate" between jews and palestinians, implying, it seems to me, that the Palestinians share responsibility for this abomination which is crippling their livelihoods and expropriating their land. That's quite outrageous. "Walls that we build around our hearts" ?!? How about plain talk: The Israeli's erected this wall in violation of the law and in a blatant act of collective punishment and land theft. They bear sole responsibility for it! "Peace, freedom and stability have eluded you for so long" ? Baloney. Peace, freedom and stability have been systematically DENIED to you by a Neo-Nazi regime based in Israel. "Your legitimate aspirations for permanent homes, for an independent Palestinian state, remain unfulfilled." Gosh—why is that, do you suppose? (Abbas, not the Pope, called for an end to the occupation.)
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