Trump advance official causes rifts, says Western Wall "not part of Israel"

[babylonsister]

Trump advance official causes rifts, says Western Wall "not part of Israel"


As President Trump prepares for his first foreign trip as president, there's a report that a U.S. official caused some strife with Israeli counterparts ahead of his visit to Israel next week.

The Times of Israel reported that the unnamed official told an Israeli official that the Western Wall is "not part of Israel."

CBS News' White House Correspondent Major Garrett says that the official was part of the Trump advance team preparing for the president's visit Israel next week.

The report went on to say that the official rejected a request from an Israeli official that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accompany Mr. Trump when he visited the Western Wall, which would be a major stop on the president's tour of the region.

The official reportedly retorted that the area was "not your territory" and that "it's part of the West Bank."

No sitting U.S. president has ever visited the Western Wall, which is not officially recognized by the international community or by the U.S. as part of Israel, although Israel considers Jerusalem its capital.

The Western Wall, the holiest site of prayer for Jewish, has been contentiously debated since the 1967 Six Day War, after Israel annexed it, along with the rest of the Old City and East Jerusalem. However, Muslims also lay claim to the site. It's where the Al Aqsa Mosque is located, the third holiest site in Islam.

A senior White House official responded to the report saying that the comments were "not authorized communication" and that they "do not represent the position of the United States" or the president.

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