Bush ends Israel visit on religious note

JERUSALEM, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush ended his peace-making trip to Israel Friday with a visit to a Holocaust memorial and an aerial tour of Christian sites in Galilee.

Flanked by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres, Bush wore a yarmulke and lit a memorial flame, placed a wreath and spoke briefly at the Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem, Voice of America reported.

"I was most impressed that people in the face of horror and evil would not forsake their God, and in the face of unspeakable crimes against humanity, brave souls -- young and old -- stood strong for what they believe," Bush said.

Bush also took a helicopter tour of Christian holy sites in Galilee, the report said.

Since Wednesday, Bush has been in talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem and the West Bank and Thursday predicted there would be a peace agreement in place before his term expires next January.

He departed Israel for Kuwait and is to visit Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt before returning to the United States on Wednesday.