Flying in from the east and walking up to the Western Wall: Trump’s first day in photos

Starting a two-day visit to Israel on Monday, US President Donald Trump met with Israel’s political leadership and made history by becoming the first sitting US leader to visit the Western Wall.

After a weekend visit to Saudi Arabia, Trump arrived at Ben Gurion airport a little after noon, where he was met by President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along with a line-up of government ministers and Israeli dignitaries. Rambunctious MK Oren Hazen demanded a selfie with the president and, despite protestations from Netanyahu, got his photo with the leader of the free world.

A short helicopter flight took Trump to the capital, where he met privately with Rivlin and from there headed into the Old City, walking through the narrow alleyways to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed to be the location of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

From there Trump moved on to Judaism’s holiest prayer site — the Western Wall, a remnant of the retaining wall that surrounded the ancient Second Temple of Jerusalem.

A meeting with Netanyahu at the King David Hotel followed, and the day wrapped up with Netanyahu and his wife Sara hosting Trump and First Lady Melania at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem.

Here is Trump’s day, in pictures.

On Tuesday Trump is scheduled to travel to Bethlehem in the West Bank to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, after which he will return to Jerusalem for a brief visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. From there Trump with finish his trip with a keynote speech at the Israel Museum, before jetting out of Israel on Air Force One for an official visit to Italy.