Obama participates in a farewell ceremony wit
Obama participates in a farewell ceremony witReuters

U.S. President Barack Obama concluded his trip to Israel on Friday afternoon and took off towards Jordan, where he met with King Abdullah II, before returning to the United States.

Before he boarded Air Force One, a short state ceremony was held at the Ben Gurion Airport, in which Obama said his goodbyes to President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

On his third and final day in Israel, Obama visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem.

“Here on your ancient land, let it be said: The state of Israel doesn’t exist because of the Holocaust, but due to the state of Israel, the Holocaust will never happen again,” Obama declared.

The victims of the Holocaust will never be forgotten, said Obama. He noted that he has visited Yad Vashem before, but said that it would remain heart-breaking even after 1,000 visits.

Obama also held a private meeting with Netanyahu and also visited the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)