Vice President of the USA prays at the Western Wall in Jerusalem
The official first stop for the vice president on Tuesday was the residence in Jerusalem of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, where he repeated the White House plan to move the US embassy to Jerusalem by the end of next year.
"Allow me to say that President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is the clearest sign of the United States of America's firm commitment to Israel. As I announced yesterday, Mr. President, President Trump has directed our State Department, working with Ambassador Friedman, to complete the transition from moving our embassy here to Jerusalem at the end of next year, said Vice President Pence"...
In addition, he spoke about what Jerusalem represents for world peace.
"... The President also sent me here to reiterate our nation's deep commitment to peace. And I am very touched by your reflections, since I arrived, about what Jerusalem means for peace and how the people of the three great religions of the world have lived together in harmony for generations".
In his meeting with Rivlin, Pence also warned Europe that changes are taking place in the nuclear agreement with Iran.
We are sending a signal to our European allies that the time has come for changes in the Iran nuclear agreement; that we will ensure that the provisions of the sunset clause in the agreement are completely eliminated, and that there are punitive sanctions available for many years to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
At all his stops, Pence improved his reputation as a friend of Israel. He elegantly handled Monday's protest by Arab lawmakers in the Knesset and his speech was praised both in the media and by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"You saw people who stood again and again applauding you, applauding the principles that guide your policy, applauding the genuine friendship that emanates from your heart," Netanyahu told him.
Observers here note that the visit to Pence seems to be a personal pilgrimage as much as a political tour.
The vice president concluded his trip with a visit, with prayers, at the Western Wall, next to the Temple Mount, perhaps an appropriate end to a trip designed as a search for the threads of peace in the Holy City and the Middle East.