U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence kicked off his visit to Israel with a Monday morning meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he said it was an honour to be in “Israel’s capital, Jerusalem”.
Mr. Netanyahu told Mr. Pence that it was the first time a visiting dignitary could utter those three words along with him, and thanked him for President Donald Trump’s “historic” recognition of Jerusalem. The Israeli leader also lauded the American-Israeli alliance, which he said has “never been stronger.”
Renewing discussions
Mr. Pence said he was grateful to be representing Mr. Trump and that his decision to designate Jerusalem as the Israeli capital would “create an opportunity to move on in good faith negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.”
The Vice-President said he was hopeful “we are at the dawn of a new era of renewed discussions to achieve a peaceful resolution to a decades-long conflict”.
Prior to his arrival, Mr. Pence visited Jordan, where he was warned by King Abdullah II that he had to “rebuild trust and confidence” after the Jerusalem move. Mr. Pence is set to deliver a speech to the Israeli Knesset, or Parliament, later in the day.
A small group of Palestinians in the West Bank town of Bethlehem protested Mr. Pence’s arrival by burning posters with his image.
Meanwhile, the main Arab party in the Israeli Parliament said it will boycott Mr. Pence’s speech, though it wasn’t immediately clear whether they will walk out on him or skip the session.
