Obama wraps Israel tour
March 22, 2013
Obama wrapped up his visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories with a tour of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, the site Christians believe to be the birth place of Jesus Christ.
Arriving at the 1,500 year old church later than scheduled, the president received a subdued reception from Palestinians.
"Gringo, return to your country," read a sign held by a group of Palestinian protesters watching the presidential motorcade pass through Bethlehem, where Obama spent only 35-minutes on his final leg of a three-day trip to Israel and the West Bank.
Earlier in the day Obama paid his respects at Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. After touring the site, Obama, said the memorial represented a need to confront bigotry and racism, "especially anti-Semitism."
The memorial, Obama told reporters, illustrates the depravity to which people can sink, adding that it is a stark reminder of the rescuers and the "righteous among nations who refused to be bystanders."
Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, a survivor of the Buchenwald Concentration camp, who lost both parents in the Holocaust, accompanied Obama as he visited the Hall of Names, a circular chamber documenting the names of all identified Holocaust victims.
"Nothing could be more powerful," Obama said after his tour of Yad Vashem.
Earlier in the day, Obama who was accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres, laid wreaths at the tomb of the founder of modern Zionism Theodor Herzl. He also laid a wreath on the grave of a murdered Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who has become a symbol of the peace process.
Anticipated speech
Hundreds of students packed into an auditorium in Jerusalem on Thursday to hear a highly anticipated speech by President Obama during his first official trip as president to Israel. The US leader received resounding applause throughout the address during which he expressed his support for the Jewish state, but also did not shy away from criticizing its policies in the region.Prior to the visit, critics of Obama had accused him of wavering support for Israel.
"It's important to be honest, especially with your friends," said Obama. "I want you to know that I speak to you as a friend who is deeply concerned and committed to your future."
Obama's first official trip to the region was not expected to produce concrete peace plans.
Obama is now in nearby Jordan for talks with King Abdullah, one of the US' key Middle East allies, about an array of pressing regional problems, including the civil war in neighboring Syria and the influx of refugees into the country.
jlw/hc (AFP, dpa, Reuters, AP)