When it comes to details, though, opinions will diverge. The debates are long and complex, but the popular notion of John as a liberal champion and John Paul as a conservative stalwart gives a rough outline of how they are seen. As such, they symbolize two groups in the Catholic Church that have disagreed for decades, sometimes bitterly, over how to interpret the results of the reforming Second Vatican Council of 1962-1965 that John launched and John Paul largely implemented. By canonizing both, Argentine-born Pope Francis will be using the symbolism of unity to urge Catholics to look beyond these divisions to join together in following the Gospel.

"These two popes represent different wings of the Church," said Ashley McGuire of the Catholic Association, a Washington-based lay group that defends Catholic views on public issues. "Unity is a big theme of Pope Francis's papacy. He's saying we're all Catholics, we're on a common journey together."

It followed a five-hour meeting of Benjamin Netanyau's security cabinet called to discuss Wednesday's pact, which Israel depicted as an effective rejection of peace negotiations because of Hamas' denial of its right to exist. "The cabinet has unanimously decided that the Israeli government will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by Hamas, a terror organisation that calls for the destruction of Israel," a statement issued by Mr Netanyau's office said.

Mr Netanyahu said that Palestinian moves to form a unity government with Hamas were "a giant leap backwards" for the peace process. "The pact with Hamas kills peace," the Israeli leader said. US mediators had been scrambling to find a formula to extend the negotiations, which had already been plunged into crisis over Israel's refusal to release Palestinian prisoners, as previously agreed, and the PA's application to join a host of international organisations and treaties.

Wednesday's unity agreement - jointly announced in Gaza City by Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organisation - appeared to signal the end of seven years of conflict between the Islamist group and Fatah, the Western-backed movement headed by Mahmoud Abbas, the PA president. It promised to form a new unity government in five weeks while pledging to hold fresh elections within six months.

The announcement heralded scenes of celebration in the streets of Gaza, which is run by Hamas - designated a terrorist organisation by the US and the European Union (EU). Ironically, Baroness Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief welcomed the Palestinian unity agreement on Thursday before news of Israel's suspension of talks emerged. "The European Union believes that the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas is an important step toward a two-state solution," Michael Mann, Baroness Ashton's spokesman, told Haaretz. "But the top priority remains the continuation of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians."

"Four times (PA Chairman) Mahmoud Abbas refused to advance the talks in recent weeks," a diplomatic source said. "He refused the American paper (framework deal), he refused to recognize the Jewish state, he refused a meeting with (US President) Barack Obama, and refused to receive the prisoner (release) deal and going to the UN institutions." The source noted that "in every case Abbas was not rebuked, and the result was that he went to Hamas."

"It's clear that assertiveness is needed from the US to prevent the talks from collapsing. There's anger against the Americans, because they needed to make a firm statement telling Abbas not to make a deal with Hamas and instead to make a deal with Israel," the source added. Instead, the source stated that American statements against the PA's move have been "feeble."

For its part, the European Union (EU) openly welcomed the PA-Hamas unity deal, despite Hamas being on the EU's official list of terrorist organizations.

“This is one of the times when people realize what’s really happening and there is no question about it,” Lauder said. “How can Israel negotiate with an organization that wants its destruction?” Lauder, who is well connected with many world leaders, said the overwhelming sentiment among his contacts was support for Israel.

Everybody, he asserted, “believes that the Israeli people want peace and that the Palestinian people want peace, and more and more they realize what the real problem is. I don’t think President Abbas could have made a stronger signal that he didn’t want peace.”

At that time, MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud) slammed the rioting incident on the Temple Mount, calling Israel's control over Judaism's holiest site a failure. "Over the last five days, the Temple Mount has not been occupied by the Jordanian army, but by a division of Hamas," Feiglin said. "The failure of the police to control events on the Temple Mount is, in fact, the failure of political leadership in keeping the heart of Jerusalem intact."

On Monday, just hours before Passover began, Hamas Islamists rioted on the Temple Mount, waving Hamas flags and "not allowing Jews and tourists into the Mount," according to activists.

In Jerusalem, Israel’s announcement that it was suspending stalemated peace negotiations with the Palestinians, after a reconciliation between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the militant group Hamas, posed yet another obstacle to restarting a troubled peace process in which Secretary of State John Kerry has been greatly invested.

The setbacks, though worlds apart in geography and history, speak to the common challenge Mr Obama has had in translating his ideas and ambitions into enduring policies. He has watched outside forces unravel his best-laid plans, from resetting relations with Russia to managing the epochal political change in the Arab world. On Thursday, as Russia staged military exercises on the border with Ukraine, Mr Kerry denounced broken promises from the Kremlin but took no specific action.

Speaking in Japan, he called the North Korean problem "the most destabilising, dangerous situation in all of the Asia-Pacific region", and described China's role in influencing Pyongyang as "critically important". Earlier this week, South Korea's military said it had detected "a lot of activity" at the North's nuclear test site, suggesting it was either planning a test or would pretend to stage one. North Korea has carried out three such tests in the past, most recently in February 2013 - an incident that triggered months of severe tension on the Korean peninsula.

China is regarded as the nation with the best chance of influencing North Korea's behaviour, because of their trade ties. "We will not allow war and chaos on China's doorstep," foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said on Thursday. "In the meantime, we have consistently and proactively advocated dialogue and negotiation."

Also on Mr Obama's agenda will be Seoul's ties with Japan. The US wants its two main Asian allies to work together to tackle North Korea's nuclear ambitions. But rows over disputed islands and unresolved historical tensions have severely strained the Tokyo-Seoul relationship. In Japan, Mr Obama issued a firm statement of support over Tokyo's dispute over a separate set of islands with China.

“We transferred some of the most vicious killers to the Palestinian Authority, only to find that they have this agreement or they were working on this agreement with Hamas without telling anybody,” Lapid told members of the European Jewish Congress executive Wednesday night. “I think the Americans must be as disappointed as we are from the fact that this was hidden from everybody and was done underground,” he said. Lapid stated that Hamas joining the Palestinian government would be “a game-changer.” He said Abbas had violated Israel’s trust by reaching the agreement with Hamas, and that trust was a necessity for Israel to make a deal with him.

“Hamas is a jihadi terror organization that is proud of killing civilians – women, children, the elderly – just because they’re Jewish,” he said. “If the Palestinians really want a treaty with Israel, how did they not demand from Hamas to say it is abandoning terror and committing to not hurt innocent people and to follow international law?” The finance minister posited that the Palestinians didn’t really want a state – a process that would take more than a vote in the UN.

"Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to non-violence, recognition of the state of Israel, and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations between the parties," the US official told the news agency. "If a new Palestinian government is formed, we will assess it based on its adherence to the stipulations above, its policies and actions, and will determine any implications for our assistance based on US law," the official said, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

After seven years of internecine fighting and competition, the Fatah-Hamas deal involves establishment of a unity government within five weeks and general elections six months later. However, providing US aid to a unity government that includes Hamas would comprise assistance to a group the United States lists as a terrorist organization.