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Trump arrives in Israel in search of 'the ultimate deal'

President Trump's two day trip to Israel is set to involve Israel-Palestine negotiations. 

<p>President Trump and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, are welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv, Israel Monday, <span style="background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250); color: rgb(100, 100, 100); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-style: italic;">(Photo: JIM HOLLANDER, EPA)</span></p>

President Trump arrived in Israel Monday in search of what he has called "the ultimate deal" — an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement that would finally end decades of failed and frustrating diplomacy.

Fresh off two days of Arabian summits that saw him warmly received by leaders of Muslim countries, Trump arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport and walked a red-carpeted gauntlet of Israeli dignitaries there to greet him. The display wasn't entirely spontaneous: Israeli media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made attendance mandatory for all government ministers.

Netanyahu called Trump's flight from Riyadh to Tel Aviv "a historic milestone on the path to reconciliation and peace." Indeed, the Air Force One flight itself was as symbolic as it was historic: It was the first known direct flight allowed between Saudi Arabia and Israel in modern history.

"Thank you and shalom," Trump said. "I have come to this sacred and ancient land to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between the United States and the state of Israel."

Trump's schedule over the two-day Israeli leg includes visits to Christian and Jewish holy sites, meetings with Israel's president and prime minister, and a trip to Bethlehem to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The visit is part of a carefully constructed theme of Trump's first foreign trip as president. By visiting countries that are the spiritual homes of Islam, Judaism and Catholic Christianity, Trump is seeking unity as he dives head-first into some of the most intractable conflicts in the world.

"Over the course of my lifetime, I’ve always heard that perhaps the toughest deal to make is the deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians," Trump said as he met with Abbas at the White House earlier this month. "Let's see if we can prove them wrong, O.K.?"

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump feels now is a "moment in time" when a breakthrough is possible.

"I think the president has indicated he’s willing to put his own personal efforts into this, if the Israelis and the Palestinian leadership are ready to be serious about engaging as well," he said.

But the visit also comes as the U.S.-Israeli relationship is stressed by revelations that Trump shared sensitive Israeli intelligence with Russia in an Oval Office meeting two weeks ago. The White House insists that Trump did not divulge the source of his intelligence about potential terrorist threats emanating from Syria, but intelligence agencies worry that details of the plot could allow the Russians to identify where the information came from.

Tillerson said he doesn't expect Trump to bring up the incident. "I don’t know that there’s anything to apologize for,” he said.

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