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More Than 10,000 Police, Heavy Equipment to Secure Trump’s Israel Visit

© AP Photo / Evan VucciPresident Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House - Sputnik International
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More than 10,000 Israeli police officers will be deployed to protect the security of US President Donald Trump during his two-day visit to Jerusalem later in May. Units including undercover officers, border police and counterterrorism squads will be present to secure “The Donald.”

Israeli police are cooperating with the Shin Bet (Israel's domestic security service) and the US Secret Service to ensure Trump's safety, the Jerusalem Post reported. In addition to the Israeli officers, around 900 American personnel and 56 vehicles will accompany the president on his visit to the Holy Land. 

Trump will meet with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Territories President Mahmoud Abbas. He will ostensibly discuss solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the issue of moving the American embassy to Jerusalem. 

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Trump will arrive at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv before helicoptering to Jerusalem. Police have prepared a contingency in case of inhospitable weather forcing the president to drive instead, with a heavily secured route that would cause delays for commuters. Major traffic disruptions are expected throughout Jerusalem as a result of his visit.

His itinerary will include a visit to the controversial Old City, which is controlled by the Israeli government against the wishes of the United Nations, which declared the Israeli presence there a violation of international law. Some have called this move a symbolic recognition on the part of the US of Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem. No sitting American president has done this before.

Trump will also visit Yad Vashem, Jerusalem's Holocaust memorial and museum. He will then sleep at the presidential suite of the King David Hotel, making him the seventh president to do so.

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Afterwards, Trump is anticipated to visit Masada, the ancient desert fortress which was the site of the final Jewish defeat in the First Jewish-Roman War in the 1st century AD. Trump's final destination will be Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the Palestinian Territories.

Yad Vashem and Masada are both highly popular tourist destinations, but they will be placed under lockdown for the president's visit.

Prior to Trump's visit, 30 C-17 transport planes will carry tons of safety equipment to the Land of Milk and Honey. This includes bulletproof glass that will be installed in the King David Hotel's presidential suite.

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