During a 20-minute meeting, the two leaders called for renewing direct talks between Israel and Palestine to find a fair and lasting solution to the more-than-60-year conflict.

Since the mid 20th century, the Palestinian people have suffered the invasion and occupation of their territories by Tel Aviv, as result of which dozens of thousands people have been killed and millions have been displaced.

His Holiness and Abbas wished that with support from the international community, bold decisions can be made in favor of peace, a Vatican statement said.

The two heads of State also expressed satisfaction with the global agreement reached this week between the Vatican and Palestine, which should be signed in a near future and in which the State of Palestine is recognized.

The text, including essential aspects of the life and activity of the Catholic Church in Palestine, supports the establishment of two states as a solution to the long-running conflict.

During the meeting, the two leaders also analyzed the situation in the Middle East and expressed support for inter-religious dialogue as an essential issue in the struggle against terrorism.

The meeting took place one day before the canonization of two Palestinian nuns, in which Pope Francis and Abbas will be present.

(Prensa Latina)

(The Independent)

It was the same old story. Palestinians can have a “viable” state, Israel a “secure” one. Israel cannot be de-legitimised. The Palestinians must not attempt to ask the UN for statehood in September. No peace can be imposed on either party. Sometimes yesterday, you could have turned this into Obama’s forthcoming speech to pro-Israeli lobbyists this weekend. Oh yes, and the Palestinian state must have no weapons to defend itself. So that’s what “viable” means!

It was a kind of Second Coming, I suppose, Cairo re-pledged, another crack at the Middle East, as boring and as unfair as all the other ones, with lots of rhetoric about the Arab revolutions which Obama did nothing to help. Some of it was positively delusional. “We have broken the Taliban’s momentum,” the great speechifier said. What? Does he really – really – think that?

Of course, there was the usual rhetoric bath for Libya, Syria, Iran, the usual suspects. And there were the words. Courage. Peace. Dignity. Democracy. A creature from Mars would think that the man had helped to bring about the revolutions in the Middle East rather that sat primly to one side in the hope that the wretched dictators might survive.

There was some knuckle-rapping to Bahrain (no revolution there, of course) and there was not a word about Saudi Arabia, although I rather fancy its elderly king will be on the blower to Obama in the next few days. What’s all this about change in the Middle East?

We got one timid reference to “Israeli settlement activity”, a crack at Hamas (naturally), lots of tears for the Tunisian vegetable vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, who started off the revolutions – Tunisia being one state that Obama never actually mentioned until Ben Ali had run away. The “humiliation of occupation” for the Palestinians – this was a straight repeat of Cairo two years ago – and the tale of a Palestinian “who lost three daughters to Israeli shells” in Gaza. I got the point, of course. The man just “lost” his daughters to shells that happened to fall on them; no suggestion that anyone actually fired them.

Is Obama just talking too much? I fear so. He was cashing in, bathing in his own words as he did in his miserable performance when he got the Nobel Peace Prize for Speechmaking.

And then, I guessed it before he said it, he compared the Arab revolutions to the American revolution. We hold these truths to be self-evident, etc, etc. That many Arabs fought and died to be free of us than to be like Americans was quite lost on him. And then we had to hear what America’s “role” was going to be in the new Middle East. We did not hear if the Arabs wanted them to have a role. But that’s Obama for you. Always searching for a role.

Well, this weekend is Netanyahu’s weekend and the Israeli settlements – more were flagged only hours before Obama spoke – will go on as before. And by the time Obama ends up swearing eternal loyalty to the Israelis, the Arabs will forget yesterday’s posturing. And the reference to the “Jewish state” was obviously intended to make Netanyahu happy. Last time I went there, there were hundreds of thousands of Arabs who lived in Israel, all of them with Israeli passports. They didn’t get a reference from Obama. Or maybe I was just imagining.

(Information TLAXCALA)

In this op-ed, Justice Goldstone contrasts the investigations conducted by the Israeli military into alleged violations by Israeli forces with the Hamas de facto administration’s failure to investigate alleged violations by Palestinian armed groups in Gaza. He also comments that the Israeli military investigations indicate that civilians in Gaza “were not intentionally targeted as a matter of policy” by Israeli forces.

Based on this op-ed the Israeli government has called for the UN to retract the UN Fact-Finding Mission Report. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Euro-Mediterrenean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) find that in order to accurately inform the debate, it is important to highlight certain issues.

The Report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission, uncovered evidence indicating widespread commission of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity by Israel and the Palestinian side. These findings were corroborated by international organisations including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Federation for Human Rights, by Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations as well as in the Fact-Finding Mission mandated by the Arab League.

Key allegations about Israeli violations relate to widespread indiscriminate attacks, the choice of targets, use of certain prohibited weaponry, and the extensive destruction of public and private infrastructure. Despite Justice Goldstone’s personal re-consideration of Israel’s intent to strike civilians, as expressed in his opinion piece, no credible evidence has come to light to contest the validity of these claims.

Based on the conclusions of international, Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations, the incidents specified in the UN Fact-Finding Mission Report have been insufficiently investigated, domestically, in accordance with international law. The two reports of the UN Committee of Independent Experts mandated to “monitor and assess any domestic, legal or other proceedings undertaken by both the Government of Israel and the Palestinian side” have concurred with the assessment of these organisations.

Among others, the Committee notes that “there is no indication that Israel has opened investigations into the actions of those who designed, planned, ordered and oversaw Operation Cast Lead.”

In the over two years since Operation Cast Lead, Israel and the Palestinian side have failed to conductgenuine investigations, and where appropriate, prosecutions.

To-date one Israeli soldier has served 7.5 months in jail for the theft of a credit card and two others have received three month suspended sentences for using a Palestinian child as a human shield. These three convictions, and the ongoing trial of a fourth soldier, have been the only concrete judicial outcomes of Israeli Operation Cast Lead investigations. It is noted that neither these indictments nor the sentences handed down for the human shield conviction reflect the gravity of the actual crimes committed. It appears that the majority of other investigative procedures have been closed without charge.

All alleged international crimes must be subject to genuine investigation, and, if appropriate, those responsible must be prosecuted in accordance with the requirements of international law. In light of the domestic authorities’ failure to conduct such investigation, the International Criminal Court now constitutes the most appropriate forum, as recommended by the Human Rights Council on 25 March.

It is essential that the current controversy – which does not relate to the principal substantive allegations of international crimes arising from Operation Cast Lead – is not used to further impunity. The Government of Israel’s call for a ‘retraction’ of the Report is unfounded, and inappropriate.

The equal application of the law is the very least that victims on all sides deserve.