Pope Francis calls on Israel, Palestinians to back two-state solution

JERUSALEM — On a day bookended by visits to the sites of Jesus’ birth and death, Pope Francis on Sunday called on Palestinians and Israelis to recognize that “there is simply no other way” than a two-state solution for them to coexist peacefully after decades of conflict and bloodshed.

The pontiff repeated that message in both Bethlehem and Jerusalem on the second day of a whistle-stop tour of the Middle East that the Vatican insists is purely a religious journey.