March 22, 2013

(JTA) — President Obama left Israel aboard Air Force One and flew to Amman for the last leg of his visit to the region.

Before taking off from Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, Obama held a final talk with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visited the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Due to strong winds, a farewell reception planned for Obama was ditched and instead a small ceremony was conducted on the tarmac, Army Radio reported. It was the last item on Obama’s schedule during his three-day visit to Israel and the West Bank, his first since taking office.

The president flew to Queen Alia Airport near Amman, where he was welcomed by Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh and other top officials, the French news agency AFP reported. Obama headed immediately to the royal palace in west Amman for talks with King Abdullah II.

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