Shimon Peres is just a ceremonial president who wields no real power
Pope Francis’ visit to the Middle East was full of political symbolism.
On Sunday, during his visit to the West Bank, Francis recognized the Palestinian territories as the State of Palestine. What does that do for the Palestinians besides giving them something to cheer about? The Pope and the U.N. can recognize Palestine all they want, but the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians can only be settled by the two antagonists, and that is unlikely to happen.
While on the West Bank, the Pope also visited the wall separating the Palestinians from the Israelis. He prayed as he pressed his forehead against the wall. When he finished, he crossed himself slowly before walking away. I take the visit to the wall as the Pope's protest against that separation barrier. Apparently Francis doesn’t get it. The separation barrier has prevented the Palestinian terrorist attacks against innocent Israeli civilians that occurred with regularity before the barrier was built.
Prior to leaving for the Middle East, Francis had announced that the purpose of his trip would be strictly religious, but as soon as his feet hit the ground of the West Bank it turned political. To top it off, he invited Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres to a peace confab at the Vatican. Both immediately accepted the invitation.
However, the Pope invited the wrong Israeli to the Vatican. While Peres is the President of Israel, his position is largely ceremonial and he wields no real power. Peres has always been a dove who was eager to make peace with those who have sworn to obliterate the Jewish state. The prime minister is the official who wields the power in Israel. Francis should have invited Netanyahu instead of a ribbon cutter.
I doubt Netanyahu would have accepted the invitation to meet with Abbas at the Vatican because the Palestinian president is reuniting with Hamas, the terrorist group that refuses to recognize Israel. Without Netanyahu’s presence, any peace confab at the Vatican will be an exercise in futility.
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