U.S. Vice President Mike Pence kicked off his visit to Israel on Monday with a morning meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he said it was an honor "to be in Israel's capital, Jerusalem."
Netanyahu thanked Pence for U.S. President Donald Trump's "historic" recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and lauded the American-Israeli alliance, which he said has "never been stronger."
The brief exchange was part of an incredibly warm welcome for Pence in Israel, which has praised the American decision last month to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The decision, though, has infuriated the Palestinians, with whom Pence is not meeting, and upset America's Arab allies as well.
Pence placed his right hand over his heart as an honor guard greeted him with the American national anthem. White House Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, U.S. Ambassador David Friedman and the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer, joined the ceremony and Pence chatted briefly with Israeli soldiers before beginning his meeting with Netanyahu.
The U.S. vice president visited Egypt and Jordan prior to his arrival in Israel and was scheduled to deliver a speech at the Knesset later Monday.
Pence told Netanyahu that he looked forward to discussing issues "of common concern" and devising "ways that we can strengthen the relationship between the United States of America and Israel, ways that we can confront common challenges."
"But also I look forward to speaking with you in detail about the opportunity for peace," Pence added. "I am here hopeful that we are at the dawn of a new era of renewed discussions to achieve a peaceful resolution to the decadeslong conflict that has affected this region."
After Trump's Dec. 6 announcement recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and pledging to relocate the American embassy there, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared that he would refuse to meet with Trump administration officials, canceling a meeting with Pence that had been scheduled for mid-December.
The Palestinians, who envision east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, were outraged by Trump's announcement.
In a new expression of that snub, Abbas overlapped with Pence in Jordan from Saturday evening to midday Sunday, when the Palestinian leader flew to Brussels for a meeting with European Union foreign ministers. There, Abbas was expected to urge EU member states to recognize a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and to step up mediation efforts in the now-frozen peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Ahead of Pence's arrival, Netanyahu called the American vice president "a great friend of Israel" and said there was "no alternative for American leadership" in the peace process.
"Whoever is not ready to talk with the Americans about peace – does not want peace," he said at a meeting of ambassadors in Jerusalem Sunday.
Palestinians in the West Bank protested Pence's arrival by burning posters with his image.
