Tel Aviv:
Pope Francis arrived in Israel on Sunday to formally launch the final leg of his three-day Middle East tour.
He flew in by helicopter from the West Bank town of Bethlehem, landing at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv where he was welcomed by Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the red carpet.
Israel and Vatican flags snapped jauntily in the breeze as a military band played their two respective anthems.
Francis' arrival in Israel comes after he spent most of the day in Bethlehem, meeting refugees and giving an open-air mass attended by 10,000 pilgrims in Manger Square.