Three images by Tom Suarez from Bethlehem show the fanfare and effect of the Pope’s visit this weekend:
Below is a notice that the main Bethlehem checkpoint, called Rachel’s Crossing, will be closed. I asked Suarez about the laughable spelling. He said, “It is authentic. It is IN the Bethlehem checkpoint. It is the official notice.”
Then he sent along this wider shot to show the notice:
Now here is a letter from Sydney Levy of Jewish Voice for Peace on the Pope’s visit. JVP calls on Presbyterians to pass a divestment measure:
The world will be watching carefully as Pope Francis begins his historic visit to Jordan, Palestine, and Israel this weekend.
While he likely won’t have to go through checkpoints himself, the Pope will witness firsthand the suffering and unjust imprisonment of the Palestinian people. People of conscience like you and me will be asking, “What can we do to end the injustice?”
And there is something you can do, right now. In a matter of weeks, the Presbyterian Church (USA) will be voting to divest from 3 companies that profit from creating misery for Palestinians.
Please join me and sign our multi-faith letter of support for Presbyterian divestment.
Unfortunately, some Jewish groups and their Christian supporters insist that a vote for divestment would damage interfaith relations between the two communities.
Your signature of support is critical because it sends the message to church leaders that solid relations between Christians, Jews, Muslims, and people of other faiths must be based on respect for the dignity and well-being of all fellow human beings.
The Pope is doing his part. In an unprecedented move, he has chosen a rabbi and an imam to accompany him on his trip. He will also be meeting with Christian leaders of other churches. We are all one family.
Your message of support to the Presbyterian Church will carry the same message: We are all one. We stand together. The time to divest from injustice has come.
When he visits Bethlehem, perhaps Pope Francis will see the holes left in the ground where, just this week, the Israeli army uprooted over 1,500 fruit trees just a few miles south west of Bethlehem. Or he’ll touch the wall, built illegally on Palestinian land, that separates families and friends from each other, and farmers from their land. Or he’ll feel the sting of segregation when he is allowed to travel on Israeli roads, across Palestinian land, that Palestinians are actually banned from using.
No matter what, we will continue to support divestment. We will continue to call for justice.
Nothing says “we could never escape from the shtetl even though we changed our names and our language ” like that fortress in the background
Great letter from JVP.
I hope that Pope Francis will focus on the ongoing Nakba and condemn it in no uncertain terms. I have my fingers crossed– the time for being PC with Israel is way over. It’s past time for them to be held accountable for their multitude of crimes.
“While he likely won’t have to go through checkpoints himself, the Pope will witness firsthand the suffering and unjust imprisonment of the Palestinian people. ”
He should make it a point of finding the longest line of Palestinians in the occupied Levant and stand himself at the end of it and refuse all the attempts by the Zionists to usher him through. He should let himself undergo the humiliations of the occupation.
Twice “the pop”.
Can’t spell it right, nor give it a capital letter!
He is there for only a very short time. Pope Francis will never know what life has really been like for the Palestinian people. Most probably the hardship, and meanness, they face on a daily basis, will be taken out of his sight, however, this visit is going to bring world focus on this horrible occupation, and maybe the anti Christian crimes by “God’s chosen” would get some attention, and open minds.
The US controlled media, will downplay that aspect of the visit, so sure.