Standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump on Monday had a point to clarify for reporters about his White House conversation with Russian diplomats: "Just so you understand, I never mentioned the word or the name Israel in that conversation," he said, per CNN. Netanyahu quickly added that US-Israeli cooperation on intelligence is "terrific." But the AP notes that "it was never alleged that Trump told the Russians that Israel was the source of the intelligence, just that he shared the information with the Russians." Speaking with Netanyahu at a later news conference about a Mideast peace deal, Trump said, "I've heard it's one of the toughest deals of all." Per Haaretz, he added that he has "a feeling that we're going to get there eventually." More from Trump's two-day visit to the Holy Land:
- Earlier Monday, Trump visited the Western Wall, pressing a hand against it for half a minute before tucking a prayer note into a crevice. He is the first sitting American president to do so, notes ABC News. The AP notes that Melania and Ivanka Trump visited the women's section of the wall; the latter converted to Judaism before she married husband Jared Kushner.
- "Iran must never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon," Trump warned while meeting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, per CNN. Trump said that in Israel there's a "great feeling for peace throughout the Middle East," the AP notes, and that people have had "enough of the bloodshed and the killing." Rivlin told Trump that "we are praying for peace and we are pushing for peace for the last 100 years and with God's help somebody will bring us peace."
- An Israeli lawmaker with an infamous reputation made for an awkward moment in a receiving line, reports the Washington Post. Oren Hazan grabbed Trump and pulled him in for a selfie as Netanyahu tried unsuccessfully to deter him; Trump did not look amused.
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