Papal Malarkey

9 News carried an article about Pope Benedict XVI calling for an end to violence in the Mid East. These quotes were gleaned from that article.

"Christians have a special contribution to make in the area of justice and peace by courageously denouncing violence, no matter what its origin, and suggest solutions which can only be achieved through dialogue.

Denouncing violence "no matter what its origin" is problematic to me because it implies condemnation of Israel's self defense. That position inverts morality, common sense and international law.

"The Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is creating difficulties in everyday life, inhibiting freedom of movement, the economy and religious life," with access to holy sites dependent on military permission.

Once again, the Pope, like so many other authority figures, inverts history and morality. Israel is occupied, not occupying. Jews have a 4000 year history on that land. Muslims invaded it in 638 and snatched it again in 1948. The malignant Muslim narrative is offensive to a thinking mind. It is no more acceptable when parroted by the Pope.

Jews and Christians are barred from the Temple Mount most of the week, able to visit for a few hours on a few days, never on holidays. They are not allowed to pray there. Most Muslims have far more access to that site. When rioting occurs, young Muslims are barred from the site, for security reasons.

Moreover, "certain Christian fundamentalist theologies used sacred scripture to justify Israel's occupation of Palestine, making the position of Christian Arabs an even more sensitive issue".

Christian Arabs are dhimmis, subject to extortion, expropriation, assault and murder. They are oppressed by Muslims, not by Israel. Once again, the Pope parrots the malignant narrative of occupation. Israel was occupied by the Byzantine Empire when Caliph Umar invaded. Israel is Jewish, not Muslim land. The Ottoman Empire fought on the wrong side of the first world war and lost the desert. Get over it already!