Was Trump the First U.S. President to Visit the Western Wall?

Trump ended his nine-day trip with a speech to US troops in Sicily, where he recounted his visits to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Belgium and Italy and his work to counter terrorism.

He also called on the Israelis and Palestinians to make compromises for peace – but gave no specific details on what he meant. Since 1967, the global community – including the USA – has refused to officially recognize eastern Jerusalem and its Jewish holy sites as part of Israel.

With this agreement in place, everything will calm down, i.e. “peace” will have been achieved and the newly formed Israel with the Gulf States, Egypt and Jordan can go about the business of defeating terrorism and containing Iran.

In a May 24 speech at Jerusalem Day celebrations at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said “I have a deep obligation to continue to maintain a united Jerusalem, to protect the Western Wall, the Temple Mount and all the holy sites of Israel“.

President Donald Trump says he’ll make a final decision on whether the US will stay in the Paris climate agreement next week.

“I am very excited for the upcoming trip”, she said in a statement.

His visit to Palestine included delivering remarks in front of a backdrop of Palestinian flags, but Trump didn’t mention a two-state solution, as has been mentioned in the past.

Speaking at the Prime Minister’s residence Tuesday, while hosting Trump, Netanyahu said he looked forward to “working closely” with the Trump administration to advance peace in the region, “because you [Trump] have noted so succinctly that common dangers are turning former enemies into partners”.

Despite Mr. Trump’s rhetoric and the massive arms deal, Gary Grappo, a former U.S. ambassador posted both in Saudi Arabia and Israel in the past, says the Trump administration and the leaders assembled in Riyadh “have no interest in provoking open confrontation” with Iran, citing economic reasons and the explosive state the region is in.

He also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The White House said that in talks with Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, “President Trump underscored the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security, including to the maintenance of Israel’s qualitative military edge”.

Trump took part in the ceremonial spectacle of the summit over the two days, this time at a picturesque Sicilian town above the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem tells us about God’s faithful. Trump is the first sitting USA president to visit the Old City, the walled section of Jerusalem claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians.

That would be consistent with Trump’s final hours in Israel and the West Bank.

Yet critics pointed out that while the symbolism of Trump’s visit was significant, there were precious few details on his plan for kickstarting negotiations. The latest round of peace talks in 2014, involving then-President Barack Obama and John Kerry, his secretary of state, failed to reach a deal.

But during the president’s visit to the Israel Museum on Tuesday, the live stream called the location simply “Jerusalem“.

A May 24, 2017 USA Today article on President Trump’s visit to Israel discussed his hopes to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace (“Trump’s peace push a hard path”).

“The real question is if there is something substantive happening behind closed doors”. The president was warmly received on his opening stops in Saudi Arabia and Israel, though he has come under more pressure in Europe, particularly over the Paris accord.

Israel was Trump’s next destination for his peace mission.

Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s lead Middle East negotiator who accompanied him to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, will return to the region on Thursday, the Israeli news site Ynet reported.