After royal welcome for US president in Saudi Arabia

Fuming that some planned to stay away, PM orders all ministers to greet Trump at airport

When 3 ministers reportedly indicate intention to skip Ben-Gurion ceremony, angry Netanyahu says all must come, and cuts short coalition meeting

US President Barack Obama, center, is greeted by President Shimon Peres, left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in March (photo credit: AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
US President Barack Obama, center, is greeted by President Shimon Peres, left, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in March (photo credit: AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered all members of his cabinet to attend the airport welcome ceremony for visiting US President Donald Trump on Monday, a senior Israeli official said.

Netanyahu announced that attendance was mandatory after learning some of his ministers planned to skip the ceremony. His cabinet secretary told him that several ministers had decided not to attend the ceremony, Army Radio reported, after learning they would not be included in the receiving line on the airport tarmac and would therefore not be shaking Trump’s hand after he disembarks from Air Force One.

According to the radio report, Netanyahu angrily cut short a meeting with his coalition leaders after making the announcement. Ministers Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) had said they would attend the ceremony, but Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu), Miri Regev (Likud) and Yariv Levin (Likud) were planning to stay away, the radio report said.

Trump will touch down at Ben Gurion International Airport Monday afternoon for a 28-hour visit to Israel and the West Bank, the second stop on his four-country tour, his first as US president.

The Times of Israel reached out to all ministers in the cabinet. While several did not immediately respond to a request for comment, only minister without portfolio Ayoub Kara confirmed that he would not be attending the airport ceremony, citing a pre-planned trip to Ecuador.

President Donald Trump walks with Saudi King Salman during a welcome ceremony at the Royal Terminal of King Khalid International Airport, Saturday, May 20, 2017, in Riyadh. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
US President Donald Trump walks with Saudi King Salman during a welcome ceremony at the Royal Terminal of King Khalid International Airport, May 20, 2017, in Riyadh. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

On Saturday, Channel 10 reported that last-minute upgrades were being made to the airport welcoming ceremony, hours after Trump was treated to a lavish welcome when he landed in Saudi Arabia.

US President Donald Trump (C) receives the Order of Abdulaziz al-Saud medal from Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (R) at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh on May 20, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN)
US President Donald Trump (C) receives the Order of Abdulaziz al-Saud medal from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (R) at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh on May 20, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN)

Trump was personally greeted by the 81-year-old King Salman, a dramatic flyover by fighter jets, booming cannons, an elaborate coffee ceremony and massive billboards of Trump and the Saudi king dotted throughout Riyadh. He was later bestowed the kingdom’s highest honor for his efforts to “enhance security and stability in the region and around the world.”

After Trump was slowly driven to the Royal Court in Riyadh in the presidential limousine flanked by more than a dozen horses where he was greeted by a military honor guard, he told the king the spectacle was “very impressive.”

Originally, Trump was set to be received in Israel with a simple handshake ceremony on the tarmac, then taken by helicopter to his first meeting with President Reuven Rivlin at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.

According to the report, the upgraded ceremony at Ben Gurion will now include more formalities and a speech by Netanyahu.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ8uAhRy3T4

Also Saturday, Channel 2 reported that Trump’s visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum may be increased from 15 minutes to a full half-hour because the Israelis were “very offended.”

The US leader is set to lay a wreath at Yad Vashem at 1 p.m. Tuesday, before making his speech at the Israel Museum.

The rest of Trump’s itinerary, which includes private visits to the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, is expected to continue unchanged.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

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