President Donald J. Trump, the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem, stood in front of the holy site and paused for a moment of reflection.
“Words fail to capture the experience,” President Trump said. “It will leave an impression on me forever.”
The Western Wall is the holiest prayer site in Judaism. Herod the Great began construction of the wall in approximately 19 B.C.E. as part of a base around the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The Second Temple was destroyed in the first century by the Roman army. The wall is all that remains.
President Trump visited the wall as part of his message of unity. He is the first president to visit the homelands and holy sites of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths in one trip. He started his trip in Saudi Arabia, home of the great mosques of Islam, in Mecca and Medina; visited the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem; and will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
During his trip to Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank, President Trump is seeking to strengthen relationships with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas.
“This is a land filled with beauty, wonder, and the spirit of God,” President Trump said.
