LATIMES: Pope Francis calls on Israel, Palestinians to back two-state solution

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Pope Francis waves to the crowd as he arrives at Manger Square before presiding over an open-air Mass outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Jack Guez / AFP/ Getty Images

 http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-pope-mideast-20140526-story.html

by Batsheva Sobelman, Maher Abukhater, Henry Chu

 

On a day bookended by visits to the sites of Jesus' birth and death, Pope Francis on Sunday called on Palestinians and Israelis to recognize that "there is simply no other way" than a two-state solution for them to coexist peacefully after decades of conflict and bloodshed.

The pontiff repeated that message in both Bethlehem and Jerusalem on the second day of a whistle-stop tour of the Middle East that the Vatican insists is purely a religious journey.

But Francis surprised observers by trying to give the moribund peace process a boost with an unexpected invitation to Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to meet him at the Vatican next month to pray for peace. The offices of the two men said that they had accepted the invitation.

"For the good of all, there is a need to intensify efforts and initiatives aimed at creating the conditions for a stable peace," the pope declared after talks with Abbas in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, on Sunday morning.

Francis urged officials to show courage in the attempt "to forge a peace which rests on the acknowledgment by all of the right of two states to exist and to live in peace and security within internationally recognized borders."...READ MORE

Pope Francis in the Middle East  LATIMES PHOTOS

Andrew Medichini / European Pressphoto Agency

Pope Francis prays at the Jordan River in Bethany Beyond the Jordan, which believers hold to be the site of Jesus' baptism.

Yousef Allan / Jordanian Royal Palace

Pope Francis prays in front of the Jordan River in Bethany Beyond the Jordan, west of the Jordanian capital, Amman.

Palestinian Press Ofiice / Getty Images

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas greets Pope Francis in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Menahem Kahana / Pool Photo

Pope Francis is greeted by children from Palestinian refugee camps during a visit to the Dheisheh camp on the outskirts of Bethlehem.

Thomas Coex / AFP/ Getty Images

People wave flags as they gather in Manger Square outside the Church of the Nativity.

Ahmad Gharabli / AFP/ Getty Images

Pope Francis blesses a child as he leaves Manger Square after presiding over an open-air Mass.

Andrew Medichini / Associated Press

Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Manger Square next to the Church of the Nativity.

Osservatore Romano / Associated Press

Pope Francis visits the Church of the Nativity.

Jack Guez / AFP/Getty Images

Pope Francis leads a prayer during a meeting with prelates, nuns and seminarists at the Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane, in east Jerusalem. The pope called for people of all faiths to have access to often hotly-contested sacred sites in Jerusalem.

Israeli Government Press Office / Getty Images

Pope Francis visits the Dome of the Rock in the Old City of Jerusalem. May 26, 2014

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