"This visit will help us in supporting our struggle to end the longest occupation in history."
(Photo:
Creative Commons/Catholic Church England and Wales)On
an upcoming trip to the Middle East, Pope Francis is expected to prioritize his
visit with Palestinians, including a refugee camp, in a move interpreted by many
as a 'recognition' of a future Palestinian state.
The papal "pilgrimage of prayer" is set to begin in Jordan next Saturday.
From there, Francis is expected to take a helicopter directly to Bethlehem
before heading to east Jerusalem, both recognized by the international community
as part of Palestine.
According to Father Jamal Khader of the Latin
patriarchate in Jerusalem, the decision to visit Palestine before Israel is "a
kind of sign of recognizing Palestine."
While in Bethlehem, the Pope will meet with the leader of the Palestinian
Authority, Mahmud Abbas, and then celebrate mass in front of the Church of the
Nativity, before visiting a nearby refugee camp, AFP reports.
"He will have a lunch with Palestinians, with families suffering from the
occupation... then he will visit Dheishe refugee camp to witness the suffering
of Palestinian refugees," Ziyyad Bandak, Abbas's adviser for Christian affairs,
told Voice of Palestine radio. "This visit will help us in
supporting our struggle to end the longest occupation in history."
According to Shoruq, an independent
Palestinian refugee rights NGO, the Dheishe refugee camp in the occupied West
Bank was established as a temporary sanctuary during the expulsion of the more
than 750,000 Palestinians during the 1948 Nakba (Catastrophe). Now home to the
descedants of those expelled, the 13,017 refugees live on less than one square
kilometer of land rented by the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for
Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
"Knowing who he is, and his sensitivity for all those who suffer, I am
sure that he will say something defending all those who are suffering, including
the Palestinians who live under occupation," Khader added.
While in East Jerusalem, the Pope is planning to take "brief forays" into
Israel and will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the
Vatican-owned Notre Dame complex, which stands on the disputed border of East
and West Jerusalem.
"I know that Israeli officials are not happy with this decision," to
begin his visit in Palestine and not Israel, Bandak added. "We welcome this
visit and consider it as support for the Palestinian people, and confirmation
from the Vatican of the need to end the
occupation."
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