In Israel, Trump cites ‘rare opportunity for security and peace’

Upon arriving at Ben Gurion Airport, Trump reaffirmed the unbreakable bond between Israel and the US and expressed hope for security and peace in the Middle East.

Upon his arrival at Ben-Gurion Airport Monday, US President Donald Trump confirmed the everlasting alliance between Israel and the US.

“On my first trip overseas as president, I have come to this sacred and ancient land to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between the United States and the State of Israel,” Trump stated at a welcoming ceremony hosted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin.

““I am deeply grateful for your invitiation and am very, very honored to be with you,” Trump said. “We love Israel, we respect Israel and I send your people the warmest greetings from your friend and ally, all of the people in the United States of America.”

“It is wonderful to be here in Israel,” he continued. “In this land so rich in history, Israel has built one of the world’s great civilizations, a strong, resilient, determined and prosperous nation.”

“It is also a nation forged in the commitment that we will never allow the horrors and atrocities of the last century to be repeated,” he added, on obvious reference to the Holocaust.

The US leader also briefly discussed his desire to see the region at peace.

‘New Reasons for Hope’

Referring to his visit to Saudi Arabia over the weekend, Trump said he has “found new reasons for hope” and “reached historic agreements to pursue greater and greater cooperation in the fight against terrorism and its evil ideology.”

Trump’s next stops on his first trip abroad as US president are the Vatican and a NATO summit in Belgium.

“We have before us a rare opportunity to bring security and stability and peace to this region and to its people, defeating terrorism and creating a future of harmony, prosperity and peace,” he stressed. “We must work together to build a future in which the nations of the region are at peace, and all of our children can grow, and grow up strong, and grow up free from terrorism and violence. But we can only get there working together. There is no other way.”

By: World Israel News Staff

Middle EastNetanyahuRivlinSaudi ArabiaUS-Israel relations