Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte met with President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem Tuesday, on the final day of his visit to Israel.
On Monday, Duterte took part in a solemn ceremony at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, kindling the eternal flame and laying a wreath.
Duterte stood alongside his daughter, Sara, from his first marriage to Elizabeth Abellana Zimmerman, a Jewish woman, which by religious tradition makes Sara Jewish too.
Reading from what he wrote in the visitors' book after the ceremony, Duterte said: "Never again."
"May the world learn the lesson of this horrific and benighted period of human history. May the hearts of peoples around the world remain ever open. And may the minds of all men and women learn to work together towards providing a safe haven for all who are being persecuted."
In 2016, in a reference to an opponent's remark that his rise could be like that of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, Duterte said he himself would be "happy to slaughter" drug addicts in a similar way to Hitler's mass murder of Jews.
He later apologized.
Duterte is on an official four-day visit to Israel, the first by a Philippines president, and officials on both sides have tried to play down his record of jarring invective.
Israel's Government Press Office said most of the visit would be closed to the media, an apparent precaution against any faux pas by a president whose two-fisted crime-fighting tactics and rhetoric have raised hackles at home and abroad.
Tourism, labor and defense deals were signed earlier when Duterte met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his office. Officials from Israel and the Philippines also signed agreements to encourage scientific cooperation and bilateral investment.
The agenda reportedly is expected to also include an arms sale to the Philippines.
Israel agreed in the past to sell assault rifles to the Philippines national police force.
Welcoming Duterte to Jerusalem earlier in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted the two countries' long friendship.
"We mark that this is the first visit by a president of the Philippines in the history of Israel," Netanyahu said. "It is deeply appreciated. We remember the exceptional role of the Philippines that received Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. We remember that the Philippines was the only Asian country that voted for the establishment of the State of Israel in the U.N. resolution in 1947.
"Mr. President, we remember our friends. And that friendship has blossomed over the years, and especially over the last few years," he said.
Netanyahu, lauding an agreement signed between the two countries to protect Filippino workers in Israel and cut agent fees when hiring Filippino caregivers, noted that he was one of the many Israeli families who "have taken heart from the support given by Filipino care workers to the elderly."
Netanyahu noted that both his late father and uncle "received incredible care from a caregiver from the Philippines."
"I, like many, many Israeli families, am deeply moved by this show of humanity," he said.
Duterte thanked Israel for hosting some 28,000 Filipino workers and for assisting his country in times of need. He said he hoped Jerusalem and Manila would "continue to be blessed with a strong relationship."
"I don't want to think that there will ever be a time there was an irritation between our two countries. We share the same passion for peace. We share the same passion for human beings. But we also share the same passion for not allowing our country to be destroyed by those who have a corrupt ideology, who know nothing but to kill and destroy. In this sense, Israel can expect any help that the Philippines can extend to your country. Thank you very much."
Netanyahu also took the opportunity to ask Duterte for his assistance in locating an Israeli who went missing in the Philippines in 2015.
Netanyahu has come under fire by some at home for embracing Duterte, a 73-year-old former government prosecutor whose forces are accused of killing thousands in anti-drug raids since he took office in 2016. Duterte rejects the accusations. He has also been rebuked by women's groups for remarks that make light of rape.
The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1957. Netanyahu has worked to cultivate new allies in Asia, Africa and Latin America, where many countries have historically sided with the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel, to help chip away at the number of anti-Israel votes at the United Nations.
His visit to Israel was to include a stop at a monument commemorating the Philippines' rescue of Jews during the Holocaust.
On Wednesday, Duterte will depart for neighboring Jordan.
