The president’s message was all the more striking given how little Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition government supports any major initiative with the Palestinians, particularly one that would involve two states, one for Israelis, one for Palestinians.
Isaac Herzog, the head of the Labor Party and the opposition, who spoke with Mr. Trump in a receiving line at an airport arrival ceremony, said he was struck by how central the president made the Palestinian issue and that he tied it to Saudi Arabia and to Israel’s other Arab neighbors.
“The regional opportunity is ready and ripe,” Mr. Herzog said in an interview. “I was very pleased as one who leads the Israeli opposition and the peace camp in Israel. We were very pleased that the president showed he is trying to break the impasse.”
Mr. Trump’s remarks set the tone for a busy two days of peacemaking and symbolism. After meeting with Mr. Rivlin, the president visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, home of what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus Christ, and then the Western Wall, the holiest site for Jewish prayer, where he donned the traditional skullcap and left a note in a crevice. He planned to meet and then dine with Mr. Netanyahu later in the evening.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trump is to travel the short distance to Bethlehem, in the West Bank, to meet with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority. Mr. Trump is then scheduled to return to Jerusalem to lay a wreath at Yad Vashem, the holocaust remembrance center, and to deliver a speech at the Israel Museum.
Mr. Trump arrived on what was believed to be the first open, direct flight to Israel from Saudi Arabia, which do not have diplomatic relations, a sign of the possibility he sees for what he has called “the ultimate deal.” In wading into Middle East peacemaking, Mr. Trump will test whether a lifetime of business deal making can be translated into progress in the world of international diplomacy.
“We have before us a rare opportunity to bring security and stability and peace to this region and its people, defeating terrorism and creating a future of harmony, prosperity and peace,” Mr. Trump said during an arrival ceremony at Ben-Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv before flying by helicopter to Jerusalem. “But we can only get there working together. There is no other way.”
CreditJim Hollander/European Pressphoto Agency