In his speech welcoming John Paul II to Damascus on Saturday, Assad drew a parallel between the suffering of Palestinians and that of Jesus Christ.<br>
During a press conference in Madrid, Rabbi Lau was especially critical that Assad in his anti-Israel speech took advantage of the Pontiff´s presence in Damascus, given the great media interest in the event.
Assad accused Israel of killing and torturing Palestinians, infringing the law, and not withdrawing from the occupied territories.
