Here are the remarks of Prime Minister Netanyahu as he greeted the arrival of Pope Francis in Israel:
"Your Holiness Pope Francis, welcome to our land, the Land of Israel, the Holy Land. You bring with you the spirit of reconciliation, faith and peace of millions of Christians worldwide, and also of many who are not Christian who are caught up in the spirit of love for humanity which you embody. Your visit is an important chapter in the history of the relations between Christians and Jews, a bond which has lasted for 2,000 years.
"These relations are anchored in the Bible, which is the moral, historic and religious keystone on which Judaism rests, and from which Christianity grew. … It is against the backdrop of the suffering of the past that I welcome the good relations between the Holy See and the Jewish people and Jewish state that have been built during our generation.
"Your Holiness, despite all the incitement and disturbances and pogroms against our people, we regained our independence in our ancestral homeland, to be a free people in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem. Your visit here is an opportunity to show you the real Israel -- a democratic, advanced, prosperous country.
"Your Holiness, in the heart of the Middle East, the turbulent and violent Middle East, where Christians are often persecuted, Israel is an island of tolerance. We safeguard the rights of all faiths. We guarantee freedom of worship for all and we are committed to maintaining the status quo at the Holy sites of Christians, Muslims and Jews."
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