BBC Online :
Pope Francis has called for an end to the “increasingly unacceptable” Palestinian-Israeli conflict during a visit to the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
His comments came as he met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as part of a three-day tour of the Middle East.
He also held an open-air mass for 8,000 local Christians by Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity.
The tour’s official purpose is to improve ties with the Orthodox Church.
Later, the Pope will travel to Tel Aviv and then Jerusalem where he will meet Bartholomew I, the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople.
Correspondents say Palestinians are hoping for a show of support as his visit comes just weeks after peace talks with Israel broke down.
Palestinian officials have already noted that Pope Francis is the first pontiff to travel directly to the West Bank rather than enter via Israel.
Many Palestinians see it as a recognition of their push for full statehood.
Speaking in Bethlehem on Sunday, the Pope said: “The time has come to put an end to this situation which has become increasingly unacceptable.”
He talked of the “tragic consequences of the protracted conflict” and the need “to intensify efforts and initiatives” to create a stable peace – based on a two-state solution.
Division
Pope Francis has insisted the purpose of his Middle East trip is purely religious.
However, the first speech on his arrival in Bethlehem showed that he is also willing to address pressing political issues, says the BBC’s Yolande Knell in Bethlehem.
On his way to Manger Square where he held an open-air mass, he stopped to look at a high concrete wall that is part of the barrier Israel is building in and around the West Bank.
Israel says it is needed for security but the Palestinians see it as a land grab, our correspondent adds.
Thousands of worshippers greeted him as he arrived in the square to celebrate mass next to the site where Jesus is believed to have been born.
He spoke in his homily of the importance of caring for children, denouncing the plight of child soldiers, child workers and young refugees.
During the afternoon, Francis will take a short flight to Tel Aviv where he will be formally welcomed to Israel by President Shimon Peres before flying on to Jerusalem.
