The Israelis are mounting their biggest security operation ever, assigning thousands of police and troops to protect the pope. They have studied the pope's previous overseas missions and the three assassination attempts against him. There have been no specific threats, but Israeli officials say they are concerned about both Muslim militants and Jewish extremists. Some church officials say they worry the effort may be excessive. I hope the Israeli police will not be obsessed with security, because the intentions are good.
Israeli officials say they are mindful of the pontiff's wish to be close to the faithful.
Israeli officials have coordinated efforts with the Palestinian Authority's police force, but Israel insists that it be responsible for security when the pope visits Islamic mosques. In Nazareth, where Christians believe the angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary she would bear the son of God, city workers just ended a strike that left piles of garbage strewn along streets. And police are worried about a planned Mass in Nazareth, where there is lingering tension with Islamic fundamentalists who pray next to the basilica where the pope will conduct the service. Islamic fundamentalists won permission from the Israeli government to build a new mosque in a disputed square near the basilica. Israel says the Muslims should quit the square until the mosque is built in a year's time, but the Muslims say they're not budging.