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Obama, Arriving in Israel, Offers Reassurance Obama, Arriving in Israel, Offers Reassurance
(35 minutes later)
TEL AVIV – President Obama landed here on Wednesday to begin a highly symbolic two-day visit to Israel, the first of his presidency, offering reassurances to a wary Israeli public of the support of its American ally as Israel faces threats from Iran and uncertainty in its roiling neighborhood. TEL AVIV – President Obama landed here on Wednesday to begin a highly symbolic two-day visit to Israel, the first of his presidency, offering a wary Israeli public reassurances of the support of its American ally as Israel faces threats from Iran and uncertainty in its roiling neighborhood.
Stepping into a sparkling noonday sun at Ben-Gurion International Airport here, Mr. Obama embraced President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who waited for him at the bottom of the stairway, under the looming shadow of Air Force One. Stepping into a sparkling noonday sun at Ben-Gurion International Airport, Mr. Obama embraced President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who waited for him at the bottom of the stairway, under the shadow of Air Force One.
“I see this visit as an opportunity to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between our two nations,” Mr. Obama said in brief remarks on the airport tarmac after Mr. Peres and Mr. Netanyahu both praised Washington’s support for Israel. “I see this visit as an opportunity to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between our two nations,” Mr. Obama said in brief remarks on the tarmac after Mr. Peres and Mr. Netanyahu praised Washington’s support for Israel.
President Obama began with the simple greeting “Shalom,” and continued in Hebrew, saying, “it’s good to be back in the land of Israel.” Mr. Obama began with the simple greeting “Shalom” and continued in Hebrew, saying, “It’s good to be back in the land of Israel.”
“We stand together because we share a common history,” Mr. Obama said of the United States and Israel, saying both nations were made up of pioneers, patriots and immigrants. “We stand together because peace must come to the Holy Land.” “We stand together because we share a common history,” he said of the United States and Israel, saying both nations were made up of pioneers, patriots and immigrants. “We stand together because peace must come to the Holy Land.”
Mr. Obama did not mention the Palestinians by name, referring instead to Israel’s “neighbor.” Nor did he allude to Iran or Syria, the other top items on the trip’s agenda. But he invoked the Jewish people’s 3,000-year history in the area, referred to modern Israelis as “the sons of Abraham and daughters of Sarah.” Mr. Obama did not mention the Palestinians by name, referring instead to Israel’s “neighbor.” Nor did he allude to Iran or Syria, the other top items on the trip’s agenda. But he invoked the Jewish people’s 3,000-year history in the area and referred to modern Israelis as “the sons of Abraham and daughters of Sarah.”
“I walk with you on the historic homeland of the Jewish people,” he said.“I walk with you on the historic homeland of the Jewish people,” he said.
Mr. Peres told him that “Your visit here is a demonstration of the profound relationship between our two countries.” Mr. Peres told him that “your visit here is a demonstration of the profound relationship between our two countries.”
And Mr. Netanyahu declared: “Thank you. Thank you for standing with Israel.”And Mr. Netanyahu declared: “Thank you. Thank you for standing with Israel.”
Mr. Obama was driven almost immediately to a nearby hangar to inspect a battery of the Iron Dome air-defense system. The system, built by Israeli companies firms but largely financed by the United States, is credited with intercepting more than 400 rockets fired from Gaza at Israeli towns. Mr. Obama was driven almost immediately to a nearby hangar to inspect a battery of the Iron Dome air-defense system. The system, built by Israeli companies but largely financed by the United States, is credited with intercepting more than 400 rockets fired from Gaza at Israeli towns.
The president’s inspection of the mobile air-defense battery was the first of a series of carefully choreographed stops meant to convey a single message: The president of the United States cares about the Israeli people and will do whatever is necessary to protect them from threats, near and far. The president’s inspection of the mobile air-defense battery was the first in a series of carefully choreographed stops meant to convey a single message: The president of the United States cares about the Israeli people and will do whatever is necessary to protect them from threats, near and far.
Mr. Obama, senior administration officials said, has not come bearing an ambitious, or even modest, proposal to revive the long-stalled peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Rather, he is seeking to make a connection with the Israeli people, many of whom view him with a jaundiced eye after four years in which he sparred with Mr. Netanyahu over issues like Iran and the Jewish settlements in the West Bank.Mr. Obama, senior administration officials said, has not come bearing an ambitious, or even modest, proposal to revive the long-stalled peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Rather, he is seeking to make a connection with the Israeli people, many of whom view him with a jaundiced eye after four years in which he sparred with Mr. Netanyahu over issues like Iran and the Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Mr. Obama is scheduled to meet with Mr. Netanyahu for more than four hours during the trip. They are expected to discuss Iran’s nuclear program and the status of Western diplomatic efforts to curb it; the civil war in Syria, where the government and rebel forces accused each other Tuesday of using chemical weapons; and the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process.Mr. Obama is scheduled to meet with Mr. Netanyahu for more than four hours during the trip. They are expected to discuss Iran’s nuclear program and the status of Western diplomatic efforts to curb it; the civil war in Syria, where the government and rebel forces accused each other Tuesday of using chemical weapons; and the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
The White House has tried to keep expectations for the visit low, eschewing talk of “deliverables,” the diplomatic jargon for policy achievements, as well as any suggestion that it represents a “reset” of the relationship between Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu.The White House has tried to keep expectations for the visit low, eschewing talk of “deliverables,” the diplomatic jargon for policy achievements, as well as any suggestion that it represents a “reset” of the relationship between Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu.
Indeed, the timing all but guarantees that no serious diplomacy can be done: Mr. Netanyahu has just cobbled together a new coalition government, with an untested collection of disparate parties, and Mr. Obama, barely into his second term, is introducing a new secretary of state, John Kerry.Indeed, the timing all but guarantees that no serious diplomacy can be done: Mr. Netanyahu has just cobbled together a new coalition government, with an untested collection of disparate parties, and Mr. Obama, barely into his second term, is introducing a new secretary of state, John Kerry.
The centerpiece of the visit will be a speech by Mr. Obama at the Jerusalem International Convention Center, where he will address an audience of young Israelis assembled by several universities. The centerpiece of the visit will be a speech by Mr. Obama at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, where he will address an audience of young Israelis assembled by several universities.
The president “just thought it was important to be able to speak to the Israeli people as well, given that he has not traveled here yet as president,” said Benjamin J. Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, who is drafting Mr. Obama’s remarks. “Having that kind of conversation with the public will ultimately be helpful in deepening the relationship and supporting the many challenges that we face down the line.”The president “just thought it was important to be able to speak to the Israeli people as well, given that he has not traveled here yet as president,” said Benjamin J. Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, who is drafting Mr. Obama’s remarks. “Having that kind of conversation with the public will ultimately be helpful in deepening the relationship and supporting the many challenges that we face down the line.”
Mr. Obama is also expected to try to redress what some Israelis regarded as two affronts in his landmark speech to the Muslim world in 2009. In that speech, also written by Mr. Rhodes, he dwelt on the suffering of the people of Palestine and declared that the aspirations for a Jewish homeland were rooted principally in the Holocaust.Mr. Obama is also expected to try to redress what some Israelis regarded as two affronts in his landmark speech to the Muslim world in 2009. In that speech, also written by Mr. Rhodes, he dwelt on the suffering of the people of Palestine and declared that the aspirations for a Jewish homeland were rooted principally in the Holocaust.
He will be on Israeli soil for less than 48 hours, but in that time Mr. Obama plans to lay a wreath at the grave of Theodor Herzl, the writer who is viewed as the father of modern Zionism, and to view the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient Hebrew texts that symbolize the link of the Jewish people to this land.He will be on Israeli soil for less than 48 hours, but in that time Mr. Obama plans to lay a wreath at the grave of Theodor Herzl, the writer who is viewed as the father of modern Zionism, and to view the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient Hebrew texts that symbolize the link of the Jewish people to this land.
These stops were added, with the encouragement of Israeli officials, to the more traditional visits to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial, and the grave of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, in an effort to counter the impression that Mr. Obama left in his speech in Cairo in 2009.These stops were added, with the encouragement of Israeli officials, to the more traditional visits to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial, and the grave of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, in an effort to counter the impression that Mr. Obama left in his speech in Cairo in 2009.
Mr. Obama will venture to the West Bank twice, to meet with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and to visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Some analysts have questioned why the president would go to the Church of the Nativity, an enduring symbol to Christians, but not visit either the Western Wall, which is sacred to Jews, or Al Aksa Mosque, which has similar status among Muslims.Mr. Obama will venture to the West Bank twice, to meet with the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and to visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Some analysts have questioned why the president would go to the Church of the Nativity, an enduring symbol to Christians, but not visit either the Western Wall, which is sacred to Jews, or Al Aksa Mosque, which has similar status among Muslims.
White House officials said that stopping at the Western Wall, in the Old City of Jerusalem, would have required an extreme security cordon. Israeli authorities, they said, also did not encourage it. White House officials said stopping at the Western Wall, in the Old City of Jerusalem, would have required an extreme security cordon. The Israeli authorities, they said, also did not encourage it.
On Friday, Mr. Obama will travel to Amman, Jordan, where he will meet King Abdullah II. His talks there are expected to be dominated by the strife in Syria, which has driven hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees across the border into Jordan.On Friday, Mr. Obama will travel to Amman, Jordan, where he will meet King Abdullah II. His talks there are expected to be dominated by the strife in Syria, which has driven hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees across the border into Jordan.

Jodi Rudoren contributed reporting from Jerusalem.

Jodi Rudoren contributed reporting from Jerusalem.