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| Donald Trump is arriving in Israel after a two-day trip to Saudi Arabia |
Donald Trump arrives in Israel today to try to revive the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process but his trip begins under the shadow of unexpected tensions with the Right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
While the Israeli Right openly cheered Mr Trump’s election, many have been surprised by his enthusiastic pursuit of the “the ultimate deal” - an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty - and his calls for Israel to hold off on expanding settlements while the president tries to broker talks.
The US and Israeli sides have clashed in recent days over the status of Jerusalem, after the White House refused to say whether it considered the Western Wall, one of Judaism’s holiest sites, to be part of Israel.
The flare-up forced Mr Netanyahu to declare on Sunday that the Western Wall will “always be under Israeli sovereignty” and would never be given up during any peace talks.
Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel would always have sovereignty over the Western WallMr Trump will become the first sitting US president ever to go to the Western Wall today, but the White House pointedly refused to let Mr Netanyahu join on the visit, fearing that the Israeli prime minister’s presence would make it look like the US was acknowledging Israeli sovereignty.
Mr Netanyahu struck an upbeat note at a cabinet meeting on Sunday, telling Mr Trump that Israel will “receive you with open arms”.
“I will discuss with President Trump ways to strengthen even further the first and strongest alliance with the US. We will strengthen security ties, which are strengthening daily, and we will also discuss ways to advance peace,” Mr Netanyahu said.
But behind the scenes the prime minister spent the weekend in a series of bruising confrontations with his own ministers ahead of the trip.
Many Israeli ministers reportedly decided not to attend the welcoming ceremony for Mr Trump at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport because of the onerous security and because they would not get a chance to shake the president’s hand.
After learning that only a few of his ministers planned to show up, a furious Mr Netanyahu ordered all his cabinet members to make an appearance, according to Haaretz.
Israel was reportedly concerned that its welcome might seem small compared to the lavish ceremony put on by Saudi Arabia, complete with horse guards and a military flyover, when Mr Trump arrived in the Arab state.
In a gesture of goodwill towards Mr Trump’s peacemaking efforts, Mr Netanyahu also forced through a series of measures designed to improve life for the roughly 2.5 million Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank.
The package, which will allow for thousands of Palestinians homes to be built and some easing of checkpoint restrictions, was opposed by ministers from the Right.
Mr Trump will also meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
The Palestinians appear to have attempted a goodwill gesture of their own with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, reportedly prepared to offer greater land swaps as part of a peace deal than the Palestinian side has previously agreed to.
Mr Trump has so far shown little interest in the fiendishly complex details of Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking but has said he is bullish on the chances for peace. “I think we have a very, very good chance of making a deal,” he told the Israel Hayom newspaper.
No breakthroughs are expected during Mr Trump’s 28-hour visit but the US hopes it will lay the groundwork for renewed talks supported by the Arab world.
Mr Trump will urge Israel to hold off on settlement expansion and encourage the Palestinians to stop incitement of violence towards Israel, a US official said.
The US president will meet be greeted at the airport by Mr Netanyahu and then meet with Reuven Rivlin, Israel’s figurehead president who has few formal powers.
From there he will head to Jerusalem’s Old City, where he will visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - built on what is believed to be the site of Jesus’ crucifixion - and the Western Wall. In the evening he will meet with Mr Netanyahu.
On Tuesday, Mr Trump will head to Bethlehem to meet with Mr Abbas and then visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust memorial. He will end the visit with a speech at the Israel Museum, where is expected to lay out his broad vision of a peace deal.
The visit is taking place amid an huge security operation, nicknamed “Blue Shield” by Israel’s security forces. Around 5,000 police officers are on the streets of Jerusalem and many of the roads around the King David hotel have been closed for Mr Trump’s security.
His entourage has taken up 1,100 hotel rooms across the city and hotels that normally accommodate tourists to the Holy Land have been turned into command centres for the White House and the Secret Service.
“While the president is here, we’re both the White House and Fort Knox,” said Sheldon Ritz, the director of operations at the King David.
Some residents of the Old City have been forced to stay in their homes in the hours ahead of Mr Trump’s visit while security preparations are put in place.
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