JERUSALEM (EJP)---Israeli President Shimon Peres on Thursday wished Chritisian all over the world Merry Christmas when he paid a visit to the official residence of Archbishop Elias Chacour in Haifa, northern Israel.

"It is for me a privilege, as president of the State of Israel, to send profound wishes on behalf of all of Israel for a Happy Christmas to the whole Christian world and to express the hope that the Middle East may enter an era of peace and prosperity," he said in his message.

Peres stressed that the State of Israel "is committed to protecting all the holy sites and the freedom of worship for everyone."

"In the Holy Land coexistence between Jews, Christians and Muslims will continue. From the city of Haifa, a model of peace and coexistence, I wish to send one clear message to the world – a message of peace and unity between all faiths, between all nations," the President said.

During his visit, he sang traditional Christmas songs with the local children's choir from the Christian-Arabic school in the village of I'billin. 

"We are proud of the Christian community in Israel and are also proud that they feel fully at home, completely free to worship in their own way and to continue with their own traditions," he said.