Arab party chair Ayman Odeh meets Pope Francis

The head of the Joint (Arab) List Ayman Odeh met with Pope Francis Wednesday as part of a series of meetings with senior Vatican officials in the historic city.

The Israeli Arab lawmaker told the pope that “Israel’s occupation of the West Bank must be ended urgently,” and spoke of the importance of reaching a regional peace agreement,” his office said.

Odeh gave the Pope a book on the history and affairs of Arab citizens in Israel and their struggle for equality, democracy and peace.

The publication dealt, among other things, with the contemporary condition of Church-run schools, which in recent years, according to the parliamentarian, have been underfunded and suffer from discrimination by the government.

Odeh, though born a Muslim, was educated in a Christian school, and said that the Church-run schools had been considered some of the best in the country and educated generations of students of all faiths.

Odeh also met with Cardinals Pietro Parolin and Leonardo Sandri.

In the meeting with Parolin, Odeh spoke about the urgency of ending the occupation and the importance of a peace agreement for the entire region.

Odeh raised the plight of the former inhabitants of the Christian villages Iqrit and Kafr Bir’im, who were expelled by Israeli forces in 1948 and despite court orders, are unable to return.

The Arab lawmaker also gave the Pope a painting by Nazarene artist Areej Lawen, depicting Mary, Undoer of Knots.

Odeh’s spokesperson told The Times of Israel that the meeting was initiated by the Joint List chair who made an official request for the reception a number of weeks ago.

The pontiff has repeatedly called on Israelis and Palestinians to seek a peace deal, most recently in January before hosting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the Vatican.

The pope visited Israel in 2014, embarking on a three-day trip that also saw him visit the Palestinian Authority.

In January 2016, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein met with Pope Francis in Rome and thanked him for strengthening ties between Catholics and Jews and for encouraging Christian pilgrimage to Israel.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.