US President Donald Trump has arrived in Israel on a flight from Saudi Arabia and will meet separately with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in an attempt to revive peace talks.
Air Force One landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion airport on Monday after what is believed to be the first direct flight to Israel from Riyadh, where Trump spent two days.
Netanyahu and his wife Sara, as well as Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and members of the Israeli cabinet, were at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion airport to greet Trump and First Lady Melania in a red carpet ceremony.
Trump said shortly after arriving, that there needed to be joint effort at creating peace in the Middle East.
“We have before us a rare opportunity to bring security and peace to this region and its people, defeating terrorism and creating a future of harmony, prosperity and peace.
“We can only get there working together. There is no other way,” Trump added.
Netanyahu said he hoped the president’s visit to Israel would be a “historic milestone” in achieving regional peace.
“May your first trip to our region prove to be a historic milestone on the path towards reconciliation and peace,” Netanyahu said in a welcome speech to Trump.
He said Israel shared the United States’ commitment to peace and that, “Israel’s hand is extended in peace to all our neighbours, including the Palestinians.”
Trump’s nine-day trip through the Middle East and Europe, his first foreign tour since taking office in January, ends on Saturday after visits to the Vatican Brussels and Sicily.
Source: News
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