The offices of the Israeli and Palestinian Presidents are confirming that they have accepted an invitation from Pope Francis to visit the Vatican together next month.
At the end of an open-air Mass in the biblical town of Bethlehem on Sunday, Francis invited the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to the Vatican to pray for peace.
The offices of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres both said they would attend.
The 90-year-old Peres, who is stepping down this summer, has been a fervent supporter of Mideast peace efforts. His decision risks upsetting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is angry about outreach efforts by other politicians at a time when Abbas is reconciling with the Islamic militant group Hamas.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis on Sudnay arrived here on a historic visit to the holy land and made an impassioned appeal to Israeli and Palestinian leaders to strive for peace describing the Middle East imbroglio as “unacceptable” and invited them to the Vatican for talks.
The Pope said he hoped “all will refrain from initiatives and actions which contradict the stated desire to reach a true agreement” for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. “For the good of all, there is a need to intensify efforts and initiatives aimed at creating the conditions for a stable peace based on justice, on the recognition of the rights of every individual, and on mutual security,” Francis said in Bethlehem, the biblical city where Jesus was born.