Israelis and Palestinians were united in mourning tonight for Pope John Paul II, whose millennium pilgrimage of peace to the Holy Land stood in stark contrast to the violence that has raged in the years since.
Bells tolled at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, after news of the Pontiff's death.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom called the Pope's passing a "great loss for all of humanity" and hailed his historic contribution to improved relations between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people and state.
"Israel, the Jewish people and the entire world lost today a great champion of reconciliation and brotherhood between the faiths," an Israeli Foreign Ministry statement said.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser al-Kidwa recalled Pope John Paul's "extremely important visit ... to the Holy Land, that contributed at that time towards creating a different atmosphere, increasing the hope among our people".
At the age of 79 and already ailing, the Pope embarked on a gruelling seven-day pilgrimage to Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan in March 2000 that took him to the very roots of the Roman Catholic faith. It was an opportunity for him to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders and urge long-time foes to reach a "just peace" in the Middle East.
For Israelis, two images stand out: the Pope's pilgrimage to Yad Vashem, Israel's memorial to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust, and his prayer at Jerusalem's Western Wall for forgiveness for historic Christian mistreatment of Jews.
Jewish leaders had long praised the Polish Pope's repeated condemnation of anti-Semitism as a sin against God and man and his description of Jews as the Church's "dearly beloved elder brothers".
"He was the first Pope to apologise to the Jews," said an official in Israel's Chief Rabbinate.
"In the past 10 years, ties have warmed and there is a tight connection between the Rabbinate of Israel and the Vatican."
During the Pope's reign, the Vatican and Israel exchanged ambassadors for the first time, marking a historical change in the Holy See's attitude towards the Jewish state. But he trod carefully over the issue of Jerusalem, a city holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians, and which Israel calls its united capital, a claim that is not recognised internationally.
Visiting Jerusalem five years ago, the Pope described it as "the city of peace for all peoples". In addition to his pilgrimage to the Western Wall, he met the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem at al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest shrine.
Back in the Vatican after his pilgrimage, the Pope recalled his visit to a Palestinian refugee camp near Bethlehem, urging the international community to resolve "this painful problem".
Six months later, a Palestinian uprising erupted, leading to more than four years of violence and the deaths of more than 3,300 Palestinians and 970 Israelis.
The Pope repeatedly lamented the violence and appealed to both sides to seek a peaceful resolution.