BICOM

US President Obama will land in Israel today for a two-day visit during which he will also travel to Palestinian areas of the West Bank and then to Jordan.

Obama is scheduled to land at Ben Gurion International Airport at 12.30pm (local time) where he will be greeted by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres before inspecting an Iron Dome missile battery. Obama will then travel by helicopter to the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.

Following a reception, the diplomatic business of the trip will begin in earnest, with Obama set to spend a full five hours with Netanyahu, encompassing a two and a half-hour meeting, a press conference and then a dinner at the Prime Minister’s residence. Obama has met individually with Netanyahu more than any other world leader, but the two will spend more time together during this visit than at any previous point.

Netanyahu’s spokesman Mark Regev said that the main issues on the agenda will be Iran’s nuclear development, the situation in Syria and the diplomatic process with the Palestinians. Regev said that diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran must be “coupled with military pressure,” while the two countries are closely coordinating over Syria. Regarding the Palestinians, Regev reiterated Netanyahu’s message in the Knesset on Monday, saying that Israel is ready for an “historic compromise to end the conflict” involving “mutual, reciprocal confidence building measures.”

Before leaving for Jordan on Friday, Obama will visit the Palestinian Authority twice, visiting Ramallah to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and visiting Bethlehem, he will also address Israeli students in Jerusalem. US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is accompanying Obama during his visit, will remain in Israel on Saturday for a follow-up meeting with Netanyahu, which it is thought will focus on the diplomatic process with the Palestinians.