U.S. President Barack Obama arrives in Tel Aviv on Wednesday for what the White House is calling a very important visit to Israel, the West Bank and
Jordan.
The trip is Mr. Obama's first official visit to Israel since taking office in 2009.
His schedule Wednesday includes seeing a piece of Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, as well as meetings with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is joining Mr. Obama for the tour, which comes as a new Israeli government featuring pro-settlement ministers takes
office.
Mr. Obama is set to travel to the West Bank on Thursday to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
On Friday, his schedule includes talks with King Abdullah in Jordan, where the United States has been helping officials cope with the flood of Syrian refugees.