Pope As A Pilgrim of Peace In Israel-Palestine

France 24 International reports that the Pope is to visit Israel and the West Bank as a Pilgrim of Peace where he will visit not just christian holy sites but also Jewish and Moslem holy sites to pray for peace in the region and world.

Besides, the visit is significant since the Pope, himself a German, will visit a memorial for holocaust victims.

One palestinian said, "The pope must have a dove in one hand and an olive branch in the other."

The real question is can the Pope succeed in silencing the bombs and build bridges of peace in world torn apart by religious strife?

Yet, its a refreshing attempt at peace and symbolically maybe one day this visit will be remembered as a turning point in the history of the world.

But ultimately, Israel and Palestine must decide for themselves that when they destroy the other they destroy themselves.

Like Kashmir, since my college days the Arab-Israel conflict has challenged me.

But having seen the years go by I feel not enough is being done, hence the world becomes a more dangerous place.

I was reading an interview recently of Queen Rania of Jordan given to the Indian edition of Vogue, she talks about building bridges between the east and the west.

She is originally from West Bank from where her father, a padeatrician, moved to Kuwait and they suffered tremendously when Saddam invaded Kuwait and had to flee.

Queen Rania would easily be among the most beautiful women in the world but what makes her truly special is her attempt at peace.

The world needs to make a list of the messengers of peace and promote them to end conflicts forever.

Blessed are those who seek peace.