U.S. President Donald Trump (L) speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 22, 2017. Trump has arrived in Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, kicking off his second leg of the Middle East visit in Israel and Palestine.(Xinhua/Gil Cohen Magen)
JERUSALEM, May 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump told Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at a meeting in Jerusalem Monday that there is a "great opportunity" for peace in the Middle East.
The meeting was held at the President's Residency in Jerusalem, which started Trump's two-day visit to Israel and the West Bank.
"What happened in Iran has turned other parts of the Middle East toward Israel," Trump said, noting that these countries "were not feeling so well toward Israel not long ago."
He said there is a "great feeling" for peace in the Middle East, and that "people have had enough of the bloodshed and the killing."
Rivlin echoed the hope for peace. "We are praying for peace and pushing for peace for the past 100 years," he said.
Later on Monday, Trump is scheduled to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in annexed East Jerusalem's Old City. He will be the first U.S. president to visit the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in East Jerusalem.
The Western Wall sparked controversy ahead of Trump's arrival when U.S. officials declined to allow Netanyahu join Trump visit to the site, asserting it is not located in Israeli territory.
Israel seized East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war, claiming it part of its "indivisible capital," a move never recognized internationally.
On Monday, the police put the alleys of the Old City under lockdown, temporarily asking an undisclosed number of Palestinian residents and shop owners to evacuate their homes and shops.
In the evening, Trump will hold meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
