(Jpost).Pope Benedict XVI voiced sorrow at the 'extermination' of Jews in the Holocaust during a farewell ceremony Friday at Ben Gurion Airport marking the end of five-day visit to Israel.
The pope spoke of a visit years ago to a Nazi death camp, "where so many Jews - mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, friends - were brutally exterminated under a godless regime that propagated an ideology of anti-Semitism and hatred."
At the airport on Friday, the pope added: "That appalling chapter of history must never be forgotten or denied, those dark memories should strengthen our determination to draw closer to one another as branches of the same olive tree, nourished from the same roots and united in brotherly love."
On the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the pope said that during his visit to the holy land he had "witnessed the great efforts that both governments are making to securing their people's well being."
In the ceremony, also attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the pope reiterated his support for the Palestinian cause, saying that the "Palestinian people have a right to a sovereign state."
The pontiff expressed hopes that "the two-state solution will become a reality not a dream," and called for the end of the regional conflict.
"No more bloodshed, no more fighting, no more terrorism, no more war," he emotionally cried just before boarding the Rome-bound plane.
