Israeli security forces deployed en masse Wednesday ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit to Israel.
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The American president will visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority between July 13 and 15, before taking off to Saudi Arabia for the rest of his Middle East tour.
This will be Biden's 10th visit to Israel since 1973 and his first as president of the United States. He will be the seventh American president to visit the Jewish state, following Presidents Richard Nixon (1974), Jimmy Carter (1979), Bill Clinton (1994, 1995, 1996, 1998), Gorge W. Bush (2008), Barack Obama (2013, 2016), and Donald Trump (2017).
Biden will meet with Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday, and the two are expected to sign what has been dubbed the "Jerusalem Declaration," in which the two leaders will "affirm the unbreakable bond between the two nations and the United States' continued commitment to Israel's security," as the strategic partnership between the US and Israel is "based on shared values, mutual interests and true friendship."
The declaration is also expected to imply that the United States will use military force to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear state.
"The leaders stressed that an integral part of this promise is the commitment not to never allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, and to use all the elements of their national power to ensure this," the declaration is expected to say.
Biden will also reaffirm the US's commitment to preserving Israel's qualitative advantage and express "the firm commitment of the United States to preserve and strengthen its capabilities."
Biden's visit to Israel will last around 47 hours and the itinerary has been kept relatively flexible.
The president will be received by President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Yair Lapid with a state ceremony at Ben-Gurion International Airport. The traditional handshake with all members of the government has been sidelined, citing COVID-19 concerns.
Following the ceremony, Biden will visit a special area set up at the airport to showcase the Iron Dome air defense system and its "cousin" – Iron Beam – a laser-guided air defense system designed to destroy short-range rockets, artillery, and mortar shells.
The American president will then travel to the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, after which he will head to the King David Hotel Jerusalem, which the presidential entourage has effectively taken over for the visit.
Biden will dine at the hotel and not with Lapid or Herzog, over COVID-19 concerns.
Thursday morning will see Biden meet with Lapid and later head a video conference with Lapid, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
Later in the afternoon, Biden is scheduled to visit the President's Residence for a meeting with Herzog, who will present him with Israel's President's Medal - the highest civil honor the state can award.
He will then meet with Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden is then scheduled to meet with US athletes already in Israel for the Maccabiah Games – set to take place from July 14-26 – but his office said that the decision on that will be made in real-time.
On Friday, Biden is set to travel to Bethlehem to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The decision on whether he will visit Augusta Victoria Hospital in east Jerusalem ahead of his meeting with Abbas will be taken in real-time.
From Bethlehem, Biden will fly to Ben Gurion airport, for the state ceremony concluding the visit. Air Force One will them take of to Saudi Arabia – the first such direct flight from the Jewish state to the Gulf power.
Jerusalem sources told Israel Hayom that "the State of Israel and the prime minister are looking forward to Biden's visit very much. Biden is a strong supporter of Israel and we cherish it. The 'Jerusalem Declaration' will be historic and underscore American commitment to Israel. It will be a living testimony to the depth of ties between the two countries, and will outline strategic Israeli-US relations for the next two years."
More than 16,000 police officers will be deployed to secure the American president's visit in Israel, Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai revealed earlier this week.
Operation Blue Shield 3 will include police, Shin Bet security agency, and Border police officers, who will maintain public order and coordinate with the US Secret Service.
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Specialized command posts have been set up on the ground along the president's projected travel routes and sites.
Disruption to traffic is expected between Wednesday to Friday in central Israel, on roads leading to Jerusalem and throughout Jerusalem itself. Changes in traffic routes will occur in the capital for limited periods of time, according to police.
"Most of the operational force of the Israel Police will be active in securing the visit," Shabtai said.
"This has great significance, which we are taking into account. Alongside the visit, we will make every effort to enable the daily routines of Israeli citizens, while providing rapid and efficient responses as much as possible to every incident and call-out."
JNS.org contributed to this report.
