The Beast in the Middle East: Day 6 ([Parenthetical joke])

At the center of the Israel-Palestine conflict is an issue as old and delicate as a Grandmother's bones: construction. For example, Pope Benedict's visit to the Aida Palestinian refugee camp yesterday should've included a large stage from which he could speak, but the Israeli government prevented it due to a lack of permits. Also, the stage was labeled a security risk because the Aida camp is right next to the 25-foot concrete wall which Israel built on the West Bank. Benedict wasn't a fan of the enormous structure, and expressed his dislike openly, saying, "Even if walls can be easily built, we know they don't last forever. They can be demolished." He then added something about the walls around our hearts, but that's a bunch of new-age malarky which won't offend anyone, so we won't bother quoting it here.
(source= Click On Detroit)

The Beast in the Middle East: Day 4 (Yeast, Fleeced, Creased, Priest)

Don't you hate it when you're trying to host a dialogue on unity and peace and then someone interrupts with a speech about how Israel is desecrating Palestinian culture? Well, so does Pope Benedict XVI, whose meeting with various clergymen in Jerusalem was cut short by a militant anti-Israel diatribe from Sheikh Taysir al-Tamimi. While it did prematurely end the meeting, it did not prevent the traditional exchange of gifts from taking place afterwards. Kind of like how Dad's drunken rants can spoil dinner on Christmas Eve, but cannot ruin the joy of a fresh G.I. Joe the next morning.
(source= Ynet News)

The Beast in the Middle East: Day 3 ("The Beast" also does not refer to Patrick Swayze's A&E show)

Some months ago, Israel announced its multi-language website http://popeinisrael.org.il/ about Pope Benedict's current visit. But the Internet wasn't satiated, so yesterday The Consulate General of Israel launched a Facebook application called "Holy Land Trivia: From Creation to Creativity" to coincide with Benedict's arrival in Israel. Along with pictures of the country and a comments section, the application features several educational multiple choice quizzes. There are two subjects (Holy Sites in Israel and Modern Israel) and three difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, and Brave!) which determine the number of the randomly-generated questions. And whoever wrote these questions weren't afraid to ask the big ones. Did the Ayyubids or the Nabateans build Perta and Ovdat? Is it Judo or Windsurfing in which Israel holds its one Olympic gold medal? Do Christians, Jews, Muslims, or all three live in modern Nazareth? They're certianly frustrating, but you can never have too many obnoxious Facebook apps.
(source= The Jerusalem Post)

The Beast in the Middle East: Day 2 (So, who IS the Beast? More on that later)

Today is the last day of Pope Benedict's time in mostly-Muslim Jordan, and tomorrow he arrives in mostly-Jewish Israel. And while he was fairly unpopular in Jordan, Israel may be home of the largest security risk and lowest approval rating Benedict will face during his entire papacy. Benedict has made a few small missteps when it comes to Jewish-Catholic relations, from his past with the Hitler Youth, to earlier this year when he revoked the excommunication of a bishop who denies the Holocaust. So now Israel is fearful of an attempt on the pope's life.The solution? Four German armored cars will be replacing the pope mobile for most of the Israel visit, and there's been discussion of arresting some more serious Israeli zealots ahead of time, as a preemptive strike. Rolling through town in armored German vehicles and arresting known Jews even if they've done nothing wrong... sounds familiar somehow, but it'll probably be fine.
(source=The Times Online)