WEST BANK: Pope Francis makes flying visit to Bethlehem, meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

Record ID: 565473

  • Title: WEST BANK: Pope Francis makes flying visit to Bethlehem, meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
  • Date: 25th May 2014
  • Summary: BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (MAY 15, 2014) (AGENCY POOL) POPE FRANCIS' CAR ARRIVING AT PRESIDENTIAL PALACE POPE GETTING OUT OF CAR AND HUGGING PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD ABBAS PALESTINIAN FLAG FLYING OVER PALACE WELCOME CEREMONY SOLDIER ON ROOF WELCOME CEREMONY POPE AND ABBAS WALKING ON RED CARPET POSTER OF POPE AND ABBAS POPE AND ABBAS SEATED, TALKING POPE TALKING ABBAS TALKING PAPAL ENTOURAGE
  • Embargoed: 9th June 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVAERPZRJ8GIYY6GUBPSTZVHCB2
  • Story Text: Pope Francis made a plea for peace on Sunday (May 25) at the start of a pilgrimage to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, saying the prolonged Israel-Palestinian conflict had become unacceptable.
    On the second leg of a three-day visit to the Middle East, Francis delighted his hosts by referring directly to the "state of Palestine", giving support for their bid for full statehood recognition in the face of a paralysed peace process.
    He arrived at the Presidential Palace to a welcome ceremony and hugged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before the two sat down to talks.
    Church officials say his tour of the region is focused on religious issues. However, the stark dividing lines of the Middle East conflict are impossible to ignore, and the pope's every move will be scrutinised for meaning.
    Francis flew by helicopter to Bethlehem, becoming the first pontiff to travel directly to the West Bank rather than enter via Israel, in another nod to Palestinian statehood aspirations.
    He is due to travel to Israel later in the day for a swirl of meetings, before returning home on Monday (May 26), with some 8,000 police deployed in Jerusalem to guarantee his security.
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