+4:3 Francis lands in West Bank in nod to Palestinians' state aspirations

(25 May 2014) Pope Francis landed in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Sunday in a symbolic nod to Palestinian aspirations for their own state as he began a busy second day of his Middle East pilgrimage. Previous popes always came to the West Bank after first arriving in Tel Aviv, Israel. Francis, however, landed at a Bethlehem helipad from Jordan aboard a Jordanian helicopter and immediately headed into an official welcoming ceremony and meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Francis is expected to press the Vatican's call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during his meeting with Abbas and later, upon arrival in Israel. He is also expected to give a word of encouragement to Palestinian Christians, whose numbers have been dwindling as the conflict drags on. Thousands of jubilant, flag-waving Palestinians greeted Francis as he arrived in Bethlehem's Manger Square, where he was to celebrate mass on a stage next to the Church of the Nativity, built over Jesus' traditional birth grotto. Giant Palestinian flags in red, white, green and black hanging alongside the Vatican's yellow-and-white flags decorated the square. Many in the crowd also wore black-and-white checkered scarves around their heads or necks, a symbol of the Palestinian cause. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...