In the end Andrei Iniesta's second-half goal -- inevitably set up by Messi -- gave the home side a comfortable buffer and left Pep Guardiola's team on course to defend their title.

CNN: Messi stars as Barca reach semifinals

Some suggest that, while Israel's peace treaty with Jordan is reasserted, a buffer zone could be drawn up on the eastern side of the Jordan river, perhaps monitored by peacekeepers from NATO or the UN, to protect Israel against an invasion from the east and to enable it to withdraw from the West Bank.

ECONOMIST: The Jordan valley: A dry bone of contention | The