Pope Francis wrapped his trip to the Middle East on Monday with a departure ceremony at Ben Gurion International Airport. The pontiff visited Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories during his three-day whirlwind tour of the Holy Land.
Francis visited the Kotel and Yad Vashem on Tuesday, making an unscheduled stop at a memorial for the victims of terror at the request of Netanyahu.
- The impromptu visit to the monument appeared to be an attempt to appease his Israeli hosts following the surprise stop at the hulking concrete barrier, daubed with anti-Israeli graffiti, which separates Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
Earlier in the day, the Roman Catholic leader met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres.
Francis praised Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, for his efforts to solve the conflict.
"You are known as a man of peace and a maker of peace, and I express my admiration and thankfulness for your attitude," the pope told Peres.
Urging both sides to work together to find a resolution, the pope expressed "hope pain of those afflicted by conflict in Mideast will soon be eased."