Pope Francis, Shimon Peres, Mahmoud Abbas June 8 Praying for Peace at Vatican

Article Source: uk.reuters.com

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet at the Vatican and pray for peace together at an unprecedented gathering on June 8, the Vatican said on Thursday.

In one of his boldest political gestures since his election in March, 2013, Pope Francis invited the two leaders to come to the Vatican and hold a joint prayer meeting with him during the pontiff's trip to the Holy Land last week.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the two had accepted that the meeting would take place on a Sunday afternoon. That morning the pope will be presiding at a Pentacost Sunday service in St Peter's Square.

The pope, who made the surprise invitation at the end of a Mass in Bethlehem last Saturday, told reporters on the plane returning to Rome that he was not getting directly involved in the stalled Mideast peace process, something he said would be "crazy on my part".

But he said he hoped the prayer meeting, which comes after flailing diplomatic efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, would help create an atmosphere that would help the eventual resumption of talks.

"Courage is needed to do this and I am praying to the Lord very much so that these two leaders, these two governments, have the courage to move forward. This is the only path for peace," Francis said on the plane.

The pope said a rabbi and an Islamic official would be present, without giving details. The meeting is expected to take place in either the guest house where the pope lives in the Vatican or part of the modern complex used for papal general audiences.

When he made the invitation in Bethlehem, the pope said he was offering his "home" for the meeting.

The offer came just a month after U.S.-led peace talks collapsed amid bitter, mutual recrimination.

It was not clear, however, how the unusual prayer encounter could break decades of mutual mistrust.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the key Israeli decision-maker, will not be at the prayer meeting. Furthermore, Peres is due to leave office in July.

"We will work together, Jews, Christians and Muslims to bring an end to the conflicts," Peres said on Monday, speaking alongside the pope in Jerusalem.

United Nation Recognized Palestine as a State

Source ynetnews.com


The Palestinian leadership is in a state of euphoria following its success in Thursday's United Nations General Assembly vote. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas congratulated the Palestinian people on Friday for their "victory in the UN."

Abbas thanked the Arab and Islamist states, which he said had always stood by the Palestinians and the Palestinian issue.

The Palestinian president promised to continue the national struggle, "until we wave the Palestinian flag over east Jerusalem."

According to Abbas, the UN resolution was a victory for peace, freedom and international law.

Shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the eight countries which voted with Israel against the Palestinian bid, Abbas thanked the 138 countries that voted in favor of upgrading the status of Palestine. Forty-one countries abstained in the General Assembly vote.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad expressed his satisfaction with the diplomatic move as well, saying that "this achievement has greatly benefitted the efforts invested by the PA on all levels in order to prepare for the establishment of a state."

He noted that the international community must implement what the international law requires in order for the Palestinian people to obtain their rights, freedom and independence.

"The PA is in the final stage before becoming an independent state capable of providing services to its people."

Hamas counting on 'heroic resistance'

Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal told Reuters that the de facto recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state should be seen alongside Gaza's latest conflict with Israel as a single, bold strategy that could empower all Palestinians.

"I told Abu Mazen (Abbas) we want this move to be part of a national Palestinian strategy" that includes "the (armed) resistance which excelled in Gaza and gave an example of the ability of the Palestinian people to resist and steadfastly confront the occupier," a confident Mashaal said.


Mashaal, who will visit the Gaza Strip next week, said the short war which claimed 162 Palestinian lives and five Israelis was concluded on terms set by the Palestinian Islamist movement and ended its isolation, creating a new mood that could lead to reconciliation with Abbas' Fatah.

He compared Israel's mood of dejection with the jubilation of Palestinians in Gaza and across the West Bank led by Abbas, insisting that "for the first time a ceasefire was achieved on conditions set by Hamas, and in the presence of the Americans."

The Hamas prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, praised the "diplomatic victory," linking the Israeli operation in Gaza to Thursday's vote.

"What happened at the General Assembly is the height of the resistance and sacrifice of the Palestinians, and confirms the victory in Gaza. We must persist with the resistance and jihad."

Izzat Rishaq, a senior Hamas figure in exile, said he welcomed the UN vote as an achievement, but that Hamas counted on "heroic resistance" to create a Palestinian state – underlining the group's deep ideological rift with Abbas who opposes violence.

The Islamic Jihad chose to downplay the resolution. Several hours before the vote, when the results were already known, the organization's Secretary-General Ramadan Salah said his movement did not welcome the Abbas plan but would not lash out at it.

"What Palestine are we talking about? If we were talking about the whole Palestinian homeland from the river to the sea, we would naturally welcome it, but if we are talking about setting a ceiling for the Palestinian rights (the 1967 borders), then as we said sincerely to the PA and our bothers in Egypt – we don't welcome this plan but won't act against it."


Joel 3:2 says,"I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land."