The Pope's Visit: Tokenism for Israel

When the pope recently visited Israel the world saw him both pray in Bethlehem at the Security Wall, and in Jerusalem at the Wailing Wall. Many applauded and praised his acts.

I am not sure they were so complimentary, or commendable, especially to Israel. Why? Because actions speak louder than words.

Consider that the pope began his trip in the Palestinian Authority. This itself broke with tradition. He didn’t come into Tel Aviv. He came to Bethlehem. As John Allen of The Boston Globe notes, “Some Israelis, for instance, have taken the pope’s schedule as an implied snub. He arrives in Bethlehem on Sunday morning before proceeding to Tel Aviv, meaning he will visit the Palestinian territories before he sets foot in Israel.” Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, which once had an 87% Christian population, today has about a 15% Christian population due to Muslim persecution and intimidation.

Consider that the pope demanded that Israel recognize the Palestinian right to a state. “Pope Francis plans to give strong support for a sovereign Palestinian state when he makes his first visit to the Holy Land this weekend.” What was supposed to be a spiritual journey, “purely a religious trip” the pope said, soon became a political one when the pope urged Israel to consider the Palestinians should have a state. Interestingly, they could have had a state at several junctures along the negotiation trail, not the least of which was the offer of Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 2000 when he put Jerusalem on the negotiating table, and Yasser Arafat walked away.

Consider that he met with Mahmoud Abbas, who is in his ninth year of a four-year term. The same Mahmoud Abbas who said, “There will never be a Jew who lives in Palestine.” The same Mahmoud Abbas who has said that no evidence of a Jewish Temple exists on the Temple Mount. The same Mahmoud Abbas who has praised terrorists for murdering Jews and destroying Jewish property. Then he invites both Mahmoud Abbas and Shimon Peres to the Vatican for prayer together. “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). How do you negotiate peace, or pray for peace, with a man who wants to destroy you, your people, and your country?

Consider that he made an extremely political gesture when he got out of his Popemobile, and prayed with his forehead against the Security Wall, under a message of Free Palestine. To me, in this act, he equates the two walls. The Palestinian wall, as a site of suffering and separation, an obstacle to peace. The Wailing Wall, the last remaining presence of the once great Herodian Temple that stood on the Temple Mount, also a symbol of suffering and separation for the Jewish people for more 2,000 years of the Diaspora. But in reality they aren’t the same. The Security Barrier exists because of terrorists coming into Israel, not to keep Palestinians in, but to keep murderers out and protect the Israeli population. Israel lives with that wall as well, and it would come down if the terror would stop.

Consider that what was to be a religious trip became very political and while the pope made appointments with Israeli leaders, he also made hand-picked appointments with Palestinian families and individuals, “victims of the Israeli occupation, and with children from nearby refugee camps.” Rabbi Skorka, who accompanied the pope in Israel said, “He will try to balance….This is going to be his policy in his speeches and in his acts. Total balance, this is what he is.”

One man’s balance is another man’s tokenism; give Israel what they want, but his words and actions certainly lean more toward the Palestinians. One could almost call it both tokenism and treachery for Israel.