(Ilana Messika/TPS) The White House officially confirmed U.S. President Donald Trump’s itinerary for his first official visit to Israel on May 22-23, including a visit to the Western Wall.
President Trump will arrive in Jerusalem on May 22 where he will meet with President Reuven Rivlin and proceed to lay a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. Recent reports have hinted to Trump potentially giving a speech at Masada, but the plan was canceled on account of the desert heat. The Israel Museum in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem was selected instead.
“The president will deliver remarks at the Israel Museum and celebrate the unique history of Israel and of the Jewish people while reaffirming America’s unshakable bond with our closest ally in the Middle East,” said U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster at a White House press briefing.
Following a meeting with Trump on Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, will host President Trump and the First Lady at a private dinner.
“The following morning the president will meet President Abbas in Bethlehem where he will convey his administration’s eagerness to facilitate an agreement that ends the conflict and he will urge Palestinian leaders to take steps that will help lead to peace,” continued McMaster. “And he will visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and say a prayer at the Western Wall.”
When asked by a reporter about whether Trump believes that the Western Wall is part of Israel, McMaster answered that this “sounds like a policy decision.” He explained that no Israeli leaders would join Trump at the Wall and that he would be visiting the site on account of its connection with the three great monotheistic religions and that he intended to convey a message of unity against the enemies of the civilized world.