"War criminal, go home" the protesters shouted at Peres as he arrived in the city to give speak at a conference of local industrialists. Some of the demonstrators held signs equating Peres with Hitler; others waved Lebanese and Palestinian flags.

Earlier on Thursday, Peres met the world-renowned Brazilian soccer player Ronaldo, and invited him to visit Israel for a friendly soccer match between Israeli and Palestinain children.

The famed soccer player, who formerly played for Brazil's national soccer team and Spanish soccer team Real Madrid, previously visited the region for a soccer match organized by the Peres Center for Peace.

Ronaldo presented the president with a signed T-shirt of his current soccer team Corinthians, bearing the player's number 9.