The visit is the second of three stops on the President’s schedule aimed at highlighting the importance of the world’s three largest monotheistic religions. He arrived in Israel after visiting Saudi Arabia, home to the two holiest sites in Islam, and will next head to the Vatican, home of the Catholic Church.
“Young Israeli and Palestinian children deserve to grow up in safety, and to follow their dreams free from the violence that has destroyed so many lives,” said Trump, in remarks alongside Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem on Monday.
“Thank both you and Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu for your commitment to achieving peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” Trump told Rivlin. “I also look forward to discussing the peace process with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.”
The schedule:
After landing in Tel Aviv, Trump will head to Jerusalem for a series of meetings, speeches and symbolic visits.
Day 1:
Meets with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin
Visits the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
Visits Western Wall
Meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Day 2:
Travels to the West Bank city of Bethlehem to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
Visits Israel’s Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem, to lay a wreath
Delivers remarks at the Israel Museum
Netanyahu has demanded his government ministers attend Trump’s arrival ceremony Monday morning after several of them said they were going to give it a pass, one of the ministers’ offices said.
The office source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the visit, told CNN that a number of ministers intended to skip the ceremony at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport because it is expected to be brief, and Trump is only expected to shake the hands of Netanyahu and Rivlin.
When Netanyahu realized the number of expected ministerial no-shows, however, he made attendance mandatory, the minister’s office told CNN.
The US-Israeli intelligence cooperation agreement is one of the most significant relationships in the world and Trump’s decision to reveal information the Israelis did not want shared could make for tension during Trump’s visit.
Neither the US nor Israel have confirmed the source of the intelligence was indeed Israel, as widely reported, but the Israelis have publicly refuted any talk of friction in the relationship. Israeli Ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer reaffirmed Israel’s “full confidence in our intelligence sharing relationship” after the bombshell revelation.
Asked if Trump planned to apologize for sharing the Israeli intelligence, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Monday aboard Air Force One en route to Tel Aviv: “I don’t know that there’s anything to apologize for.”
“To the extent the Israelis have any questions, or clarification, I’m sure we’re happy to provide that,” Tillerson said.
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