Peace process

Hague says UK ready to 'assist in any way' in quest for Middle East peace

Zoe Winograd — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:05:13 +0100

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the UK “stands ready to assist in any way” in advancing the peace process.

The two leaders met as part of Mr Hague’s visit to Israel this week alongside US Secretary of State John Kerry.

Mr Netanyahu and Mr Hague discussed peace negotiations , security concerns over Iran and Syria, and relations between the UK and Israel.

Mr Hague said after the meeting: “I reiterated the UK’s strong support for Mr Kerry’s efforts to relaunch the peace process and I welcomed Prime Minister Netanyahu’s commitment to a two-state solution. The UK’s position is well known, we want to see a two-state solution, with a secure and universally recognised Israel living alongside a viable State of Palestine, with Jerusalem as a shared capital. We stand ready to assist in any way we can to help make progress to this end.

“The UK and Israel are close friends and allies and I attach great importance to our bilateral relationship. Our collaboration on hi-tech and science is second to none and today we affirmed the UK and Israel’s co - operation on security issues, including Iran. As a friend and ally, Britain is fully committed to Israel’s security needs.”

Before he met Mr Netanyahu, Mr Hague told reporters that the building of settlements “on occupied land” was to blame for the decline in British support for Israel.

Mr Hague told reporters: “Israel has lost some of its support in Britain and in other European countries over time — this is something I’ve often pointed out to Israeli leaders — because of settlement activity, which we condemn.”

“We strongly disagree with settlements on occupied land. Israel is a country we work with in many ways, but we do disapprove of settlements.”

He added: “We want to see both Israelis and Palestinians really commit themselves to the peace process while there is still a chance of a two-state solution.”

In a meeting with the Israeli president, Shimon Peres, Mr Hague emphasised his determination to make progress in securing a peace deal.

He said : “It is a crucial time in the entire region with the Iranian nuclear programme , the tragic situation in Syria , and our hope that we can, through supporting Mr Kerry and his work, really help to make some decisive moves forward for permanent peace.”

Mr Peres commended Mr Hague for making Britain's position on Iran, terror and peace extremely clear.

"In spite of all the difficulties the time is right for peace. I can see positive developments on our side, on the Palestinian side and on the Arab side.”

Mr Hague also stressed his support for Mr Kerry's efforts to relaunch the peace process at a meeting with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

Meanwhile Mr Kerry has expressed his hope “to surprise people” in making positive steps towards peace.

Mr Kerry said: “There have been bitter years of disappointment. It is our hope that by being methodical, careful, patient - but detailed and tenacious - that we can lay on a path ahead that can conceivably surprise people and certainly exhaust the possibilities of peace."

How Hague’s visit can help keep peace process on track

Dermot Kehoe — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:30:29 +0100

'A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you" - Elbert Hubbard.

Israel and the UK are friends. William Hague has described the UK's relationship with Israel as going "far beyond the realm of diplomatic relations… It is based on bonds between families and communities as well as shared values and common interests. Israel is a friend and a strategic partner of this country." Therefore, his visit to Israel is important and welcome.

The UK-Israel partnership is based on shared values, an understanding that those values are challenged by common threats, and a determination to tackle those threats together.

The threats include Iran's nuclear ambitions, Syria's deteriorating civil war and the rise of Islamism across the Middle East. These issues will no doubt form a significant part of Hague's busy agenda. However, as he recently declared at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State John Kerry, "there is no more urgent foreign policy priority in 2013 than restarting negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians".

Clearly the UK and US share a similar perspective on this issue. President Obama's recent visit to Israel was widely seen as a success. I remember watching his speech to the packed hall of students in Jerusalem and getting goose bumps. It was the most cogent, passionate and clear-sighted articulation of the case for a two-state solution that I have heard, ever.

So what can Hague do this week, as a friend of Israel and supporter of two states for two peoples? First, he should take a leaf out of President Obama's book by investing personal capital in the bilateral relationship with Israel. The Foreign Secretary should show that he has a clear sight of Israel's legitimate concerns and interests and therefore demonstrably distance himself, and the wider British government, from the wholly retrograde campaign to boycott Israel.

He should also ensure Britain's position (and the EU's) is well co-ordinated with the US. To give Kerry's efforts the best chance of success, other international players need to send a consistent message to the parties that they will back them if they engage in the US-led process, and will not support alternatives.

This is a particularly important message for the Palestinians to hear. Certainly, Israel should be encouraged to act constructively: to continue its current quiet restraint on new settlement construction and demonstrate that diplomacy delivers improvements for Palestinians on the ground. But the Palestinians must reciprocate by not confronting Israel at the International Criminal Court or in other international forums.

Hague will be aware that there is currently little enthusiasm in the PA for negotiations with Israel. That being so, it is important to be realistic about what to expect at this stage. The priority is to secure a framework of reduced tensions, avoiding another negative spiral like the one set off by the UN resolution in November, and creating a political space where Abbas and Netanyahu can develop trust and explore what kind of bilateral progress might be possible.

In that context, Hague should also get behind Kerry's efforts to stabilise the Palestinian economy and breathe new life into the bottom-up development West Bank programme - a programme to which Britain has made a very positive contribution up to now.

Thirdly, he should choose his words carefully about the future. Both Hague and Kerry have recently warned that time is running out for a two-state solution - no doubt aiming to push those who want this to get on with it. But they may inadvertently be encouraging opponents by creating the impression that some alternative is around the corner. Palestinian rejectionists may mistakenly believe that the window closing on a two-state solution means there is hope for their campaign to secure rights of citizenship in Israel through international pressure, thereby replacing Israel with a single, Arab-majority state.

Such a belief is illusory, and Hague needs to send a clear message. He needs to stress to both publics that Britain sees no alternative to a solution of "two states for two peoples" as a way to reconcile the demands of the two sides. The alternative is no solution - only more pain, instability and conflict for both sides.

The best advice for Hague on his trip? It comes from Albert Camus: "Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend."

Hague and Kerry due in Israel for peace talks

Marcus Dysch — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:03:07 +0100

Foreign Secretary William Hague is due to visit Israel this week during a short tour of the Middle East.

He is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks on the peace process.

The trip has been planned for some time and is being made in an effort to support US Secretary of State John Kerry's work to encourage Israelis and Palestinians to return to negotiations.

Mr Kerry will also be in Israel - his fourth visit in two months as he works to turn around reluctance on both sides and looks to boost the Palestinian economy.

Mr Hague will attend a meeting of the core group nations in Jordan on Wednesday before travelling to Israel the following day.

He is also due to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

Jerusalem road ‘obstacle to peace’

Anshel Pfeffer — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:44 +0100

The inauguration of a new road in northern Jerusalem last week has alleviated traffic jams but also drawn criticism over its implications for the peace process.

Route 20 is a mile-long dual carriageway connecting the north-eastern neighbourhoods of Pisgat Zeev and Neve Ya’akov with the main north-south Begin Highway and the western exit from Jerusalem towards Tel Aviv.

The road, which significantly reduces traffic jams in the north of the city, took over two years to build due to objections filed by residents of the Palestinian neighbourhood of Beit Hanina, which it bisects.

In addition to the local opposition, peace groups claim that Route 20 is the first part of a larger project to the north and south of Jerusalem’s centre: to connect Jewish neighbourhoods built beyond the Green Line with the main transport network.

Two more similar roads are to be built over the next three years and, according to the campaigners, their existence will make it much more difficult to divide Jerusalem’s municipal area into two capitals in a future peace deal.

Senior Israeli officials denied that the road had any political implications. “The transport infrastructure in Jerusalem, just like in the other large cities in Israel, needs special attention,” said Transport Minister Yisrael Katz.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the road’s inauguration ceremony last week: “We are continuously and methodically working to connect Jerusalem to itself and to connect it to the rest of our country, because it is important to us.”

The main interchange on Route 20 is named after Professor Ben-Zion Netanyahu, the late father of the prime minister.

Prof Netanyahu died last year and, while streets in Jerusalem are normally only named after people at least three years after their death, the decision to name the interchange was fast-tracked. Opposition members of Jerusalem City Council said that Prof Netanyahu, a celebrated historian of the Spanish Inquisition, deserved to be commemorated but criticised the decision to bend the rules.

Israel welcomes Arab League shift on peace talks

Zoe Winograd — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:37:53 +0100

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has “welcomed” the Arab League’s new positioning on peace talks with Israel.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani announced that the Arab League backed minor land swaps after an Arab delegation met US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington on Monday.

The Bahraini, Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers were at the meeting, as well as officials from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League.

The announcement marked a shift from the Arab Peace Initiative in 2002, which asked for a return to 1967 borders, the inclusion of East Jerusalem in a Palestinian state and the return of Palestinian refugees, in exchange for a full Arab recognition of Israel.

Mr Kerry told a news conference that his meeting with the Arab League was “a very big step forward.”

He said: “We’re going to continue to march forward and try to bring people to the table despite the difficulties and the disappointments of the past.”

“So the Arab community - and I think they should be thanked for this - saw fit to come here to the United States as a delegation of the Arab League to make it clear that they are relaunching the Arab Peace Initiative,” he added.

Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office “welcomed the support given by the Arab league delegation and the US Secretary of State to the diplomatic process.” The office said it is prepared to negotiate with the Palestinians immediately.

Israel President Shimon Peres said that the announcement means that “a broad structure of support is being created for making progress” and that “there is a chance to open negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.”

Israel’s Justice Minister Tzipi Livni hailed it as “a message to the Israeli public that this is not just about us and the Palestinians.” She told Israeli Army Radio on Tuesday that the agreement “allows the Palestinians to enter the room and make the needed compromises.”

All 52 opposition members of the Knesset have signed a petition asking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address parliament on the Arab League announcement.

How peace gap might just be bridged

John Ware — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:31:09 +0100

When it comes to peace, the gap between the most that any Israeli government can offer, and the least that any Palestinian administration can accept, has never been bridged.

But never, since the Oslo peace process began, has that gap seemed wider. And it's still growing. Two weeks ago, the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, resigned. Fayyad was one of the last remaining Palestinians with whom Israeli security chiefs had some chemistry. Working behind the scenes after the second intifada, Fayyad assisted Israel in thwarting a resurgent Hamas in the West Bank, and he got the Palestinian Authority security forces to rein in several hundred Fatah militants.

Personal chemistry matters when nothing else seems to work. It can keep a peace pulse beating, however faint. I think of the chemistry between the former Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin and Jordan's King Hussein. Those who witnessed their private meetings speak of a genuine bond - they both even smoked cigarettes the same way. It is said that even the erratic Yasir Arafat had a grudging respect for Rabin as a man whose word could be trusted.

Those days are gone. With Fayyad out of the way, Hamas has made a renewed effort to draw Fatah into its orbit in a new unity pact, while asking Europe to annul its designated status as a terrorist organisation. Hamas hopes the European Union will be open to persuasion because Hamas hasn't launched a suicide bombing since 2004. I guess Hamas don't count rockets fired at civilian targets, or a laser-guided, anti-tank missile fired at a school bus killing a 16-year-old in 2011.

Will Hamas succeed? Probably not. But who is to say they might not eventually if nothing changes?

What President Obama politely referred to in his empathetic speech to young Israelis in March was the imperative for Israel to reverse what he called "an undertow of isolation" because of the "frustration in the international community about this conflict". For "undertow" read: "If the status quo in the West Bank continues, and religiously inspired settlements continue to grow, you will one day be staring at global isolation."

Obama's tough love may succeed in giving a resuscitating jolt to the near lifeless body of Oslo. But very few seem to think it will succeed in saving the patient's life.

As Ireland and South Africa remind us, the leaders of both sides in a conflict really have to want a settlement to the exclusion of all else, in order that they find the words and the leadership and the political courage to take their people with them.

And yet, today, the growing fusion between religion and politics on both sides in the Holy Land risks putting the conflict beyond any sort of resolution.

Does any rational Palestinian seriously believe that, never mind the Israelis, the rest of the world is ever likely to accept that the entire Holy Land has been a sacred Islamic endowment since Muslim conquerors consecrated it in the seventh century, with never one inch of it to be ceded by an Arab ruler? By the same token, is the world - let alone the Palestinians - ever seriously likely to expect Palestinians and Arabs to accept that there exists for Israelis an inviolate right to settle on the whole of the ancestral biblical homeland, irrespective of the impact this might have on others who have lived there for generations?

And does any rational Israeli - and most Israelis I know are very rational - seriously believe that scores of checkpoints, entry permits to Jerusalem, the construction of settlements, restrictions on the movements of tens of thousands of Palestinians, can continue in perpetuity without some sort of violent outlet, sooner or later?

The majority of Israelis do not. They have no desire to oppress Palestinians. But then they shrug: what to do?

If you are an optimist, you have to believe, as former director of Mossad Efraim Halevy believes, that ultimately there will be ideological burn-out on both sides and a settlement of sorts will emerge. But this will not happen any time soon because, Halevy told me, both sides will continue to claim rights to the whole of the Holy Land, right up until "one minute to midnight".

Only then will they look into the abyss and accept that, since neither side can sustain permanent conflict, life for both sides will become intolerably wretched. Do things really have to get that bad before they get better?

Every year about now, the gloom lifts for a day or two as Israelis and Jews around the world celebrate the birth of the world's only Jewish state. In London, hundreds of guests of the Israeli embassy are plied with good sushi, salt beef, smoked salmon and wine, and the truly remarkable stories of what the state has achieved in such a short time. The tone is irrepressibly upbeat - and infectious.

So this year, as Israel celebrates its 65th birthday, perhaps I, too, can strike an optimistic note even though the future seems so gloomy.

In January, I travelled around Israel making a documentary for BBC 2. Israel: Facing the Future was broadcast last week.

Television is not the friendliest medium in which to unravel complex subjects. It suffers from what the BBC's former director-general John Birt once called the "bias against understanding". What Birt meant was that television tends to cleave to polarity and in a conflict as complex and visceral as this one, finds it hard to grapple with the nuances that can be vital to a proper understanding.

Because this conflict arouses such huge passions, we attempted, where possible, to paint a picture of the country in some of the colours that we felt showed how Israel actually is rather than the way its often portrayed.

With so much ground to cover in a limited time, inevitably some impressions couldn't be accommodated. But they're worth retelling because to me they show there are still signs of life in the search for peace and reconciliation in everyday events.

Take the Palestinian entrepreneur Bashar Masri, whom I met in the West Bank. He is risking much of his personal fortune to build a new city at Rawabi. As in Israel, there is a shortage of housing in the West Bank, only chronically so. Masri is building homes for 40,000 Palestinians, schools, mosques and a commercial centre. American architects and engineers helped get the project started, but now it's almost exclusively run by Palestinians.

Rawabi gave me a glimpse of a possible future, a mini Palestinian state in the making, free of the religious ideology that has done so much to fuel hatred and mutual mistrust. Masri and his team just want to make a better life for Palestinians. He speaks eloquently about the disaster that will ensue in the absence of some kind of two-state solution - a disaster, he stresses, not just for Palestinians but also for Israelis. "We'll be killing each other throughout time and throughout the next 100 years, which I would hate to think about," he says.

Adjacent to this project is a settlement, legal under Israeli law, but whose members, according to Masri, have been generally obstructive, holding demonstrations, refusing to co-operate over access roads, and even resorting to legal action. Masri says he's had a stream of Israeli visitors - rabbis, MKs, IDF top brass, including chief of staff Benny Gantz. After a tour of the site, Gantz turned to Masri and said: "Any man who can build a place like this is a man of peace. How can I help?" Masri explained his difficulties with the settlers. Gantz said he would sort it, and that is what Gantz did. The hostility has stopped.

Although distrust is the very heart of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, between them Gantz and Masri showed how to build it.

Masri has also built strong cross-border relationships with Israeli entrepreneurs and philanthropists. And although ordinary Israelis and Palestinians have had negligible contact since the second intifada, in the restaurant of one Israeli hotel I saw a large group of Israel and Palestinian businessmen eating together, joshing with each other, talking earnestly - and laughing together. Again, I could glimpse a future.

And then I read that, on the eve of Yom Hazikaron, some Palestinians from the West Bank who'd had relatives killed by the IDF were given permits to travel to Israel to meet Israelis whose relatives had been killed by Palestinians. A hall with 2,000 seats is reported to have been filled, mostly with young people. This cannot have been easy for either side. Yet it happened.

And what about the last election - the one in which almost everyone forecast Israel would take a big lurch to the ideological right? It didn't happen. In fact Israelis recoiled from it. The country's ideological right may still be the largest single voting bloc in the Knesset, and within it, members seem to be moving ever further to the right. But the Israeli electorate has stayed stubbornly around the centre - as it has for several elections now.

Predictions about Israeli-Arabs disengaging from the democratic process also defied expectations. While the most exhaustive polls point to deepening tensions with their fellow Jewish citizens, Arab-Israeli turnout showed the biggest rise since 2000. And while there are disturbing signs of xenophobia in some sections of the Jewish-Israeli population, here's one more snapshot of Israel that these days, rarely seems to see the light of day.

Having heard all sorts of racist horror stories about Beitar Jerusalem FC, I went to watch then play at home. Sure enough there were extremists - a gang of about 200. Furious that Beitar had just signed two observant Muslim players (from Chechnya as it happens), they raised a sign saying: "Beitar - pure for 70 years."

But was this permitted? Was it applauded? Was it even tolerated? No, it was not. The police moved in to arrest the mob and some have been charged with racist behaviour. The club has been fined, the stand was closed for several matches, and the club's owner has said he wants nothing to do with racists. None of the fans I interviewed on the opposite stand supported them. One or two intimated that they were off their heads.

This peace business is so easy to aspire to and waffle warm words about - and so very difficult to do. None of these events should be overstated. Yet to me they indicate there is a peace pulse, on both sides, that still flickers. And while there's life there must always be hope.

Good luck, Mr Kerry

Orlando Radice — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:23:38 +0100

Much has been written in the Western press about Israeli intransigence on the peace process in recent months. There are good reasons for this. Announcing new settlements in sensitive areas such as the E1 corridor – as the Israeli government did last November – is not the action of a side that has any interest in signing a peace deal.

And withholding customs revenue destined for the Palestinian Authority in the wake of Mahmoud Abbas’s decision to apply for a status upgrade at the UN General Assembly was probably a major factor in causing the resignation of Salam Fayyad last week. It gave rise to economic misery in the West Bank, which Abbas leveraged to force Fayyad out. Fayyad, for all his faults, co-operated closely with Israel, renounced violence, was a key state-builder for the Palestinians and opposed Abbas’s unilateral push to secure statehood.

So much for the Israeli peace drive. Less has been said, however, about Palestinian efforts to avoid negotiations.

Israel has made repeated offers to hold direct talks, without preconditions, and been repeatedly turned down. Abbas’s refusal to talk has been determined by his need to remain popular at home, and to avoid being accused of treachery by a host of local and regional forces.

Confrontation with Israel is popular in the West Bank - whether that means ‘softer’ steps such as taking a bid for Palestinian statehood to the UN or moving towards reconciliation with Hamas, or more aggressive moves such as encouraging violent protests – but the result is less financial aid from Israel and the international community, which in turn creates more anger on the streets.

On the other hand, co-operation with Israel opens Abbas up to severe domestic criticism and weakens the legitimacy of the PLO and Fatah. Since neither option is attractive, Abbas has done nothing. And that strategy is making no-one happy - except, perhaps, the Israeli right, because it helps them to justify continued settlement of the West Bank.

Reduced co-operation with Israel has meant Israel has seen no reason to make concessions, on issues from settlement building to the release of prisoners and expanding PA jurisdiction in the West Bank. Growing West Bank protests in recent months have filled the void and provided an outlet for dissatisfaction with the status quo. Ultimately, Abbas is not strong enough to do a deal with Israel and survive the wrath of his people, most of whom reject a peace deal that they believe would deliver nothing.

For those who are not familiar with the peace process, Hamas is left out of most discussions because there has never been any evidence that the organisation is interest in making peace with Israel. As one Israeli diplomat told me recently, “We can just hope that Hamas would acquiesce in a new (peaceful) reality once that reality has already been created – that is, a deal with the PA.”

There you have it, the anatomy of a stalemate.

Obama urges Israelis to push leaders on peace

Marcus Dysch — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:16:34 +0000

President Barack Obama has told Israelis and Palestinians to demand their political leaders take greater risks to ensure peace.

On the second day of his tour of Israel, Mr Obama spoke of the need to build trust, because "peace is possible".

The president was briefly heckled while speaking to students at the Jerusalem Convention Centre, but laughed off the interruption, saying it was a sign of Israel's "lively debate".

There was prolonged applause from the Israeli students when Mr Obama told them "the only way for Israel to endure and thrive as a Jewish and democratic state is through the realisation of an independent and viable Palestine".

He added: "The Palestinian people's right to self-determination and justice must also be recognised. Put yourself in their shoes – look at the world through their eyes.

"Neither occupation nor expulsion is the answer. Just as Israelis built a state in their homeland, Palestinians have a right to be a free people in their own land."

Mr Obama also spoke of his "sense of an Israel that is surrounded by many in this region who reject it, and many in the world who refuse to accept it.

"That is why the security of the Jewish people in Israel is so important – because it can never be taken for granted. But make no mistake: those who adhere to the ideology of rejecting Israel's right to exist might as well reject the earth beneath them and the sky above, because Israel is not going anywhere.

"Today, I want to tell you – particularly the young people – that so long as there is a United States of America, ah-tem lo lah-vahd [you are not alone]. The question, then, is what kind of future Israel will look forward to."

He went on to discuss whether the Israeli public truly believed peace was possible, and acknowledged the threats posed by terrorist attacks and the "ugly reality of antisemitism".

Mr Obama said Israel stood at a "crossroads" and "only Israelis can make the fundamental decisions about your country's future".

The president is due to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum and grave of assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin tomorrow.

He concluded his speech: "We bear that history on our shoulders, and we carry it in our hearts. Today, as we face the twilight of Israel's founding generation, you – the young people of Israel – must now claim the future. It falls to you to write the next chapter in the story of this great nation.

"As the president of a country that you can count on as your greatest friend, I am confident that you can help us find the promise in the days that lie ahead.

"And as a man who has been inspired in my own life by that timeless calling within the Jewish experience – tikkun olam – I am hopeful that we can draw upon what's best in ourselves to meet the challenges that will come; to win the battles for peace in the wake of so much war; and to do the work of repairing this world."

Kerry in Israel to kickstart peace talks, reports suggest

Anna Sheinman — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:14:47 +0000

US Secretary of State John Kerry may use this week's US presidential trip to Israel to begin peace talks based on the 2002 Saudi peace initiative, reports in the Israeli media suggest.

Mr Kerry has already arrived in the country ahead of President Barack Obama who is due to arrive at 12.15pm today. However, his schedule is unknown, with a State Department spokesperson saying only that he "would have a meeting or two, in preparation for the president’s arrival”.

Israeli media reports suggest that while Mr Obama is on his 50-hour whistlestop tour, Mr Kerry will be working to put an Arab League peace initiative from 2002 back on the table.

The plan, proposed by Saudi Arabia in 2002, has at its heart a return to 1967 borders, but also includes a peace agreement between all Arab countries and Israel, and a solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees.

Obama in Israel: now available for iPad

Jennifer Lipman — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:07:24 +0000

Interested citizens will be able to track President Obama's every move as he embarks on his much - anticipated Israel visit, thanks to a dedicated app.

The US leader is due to spend three days in Israel, arriving on March 20, in his first trip to the Jewish state since he was a presidential candidate in 2008.

In a sign of the importance being given to the visit by the Israeli government, the Prime Minister's Office has released an app enabling people to follow his itinerary, receive live updates, browse official photographs and watch events unfold on live-streamed video.

The free app, which by the time the president arrives will be available in Hebrew, English and Arabic, will be accessible on Apple and Android technology.

"We are prepared for the arrival of hundreds of journalists", said Liran Dan, who is head of Israel's national information directorate. "Our goal is to give [them] the best service possible. Emphasis will be given to providing information via social networks, and to this end, we have launched a PMO (Prime Minister's Office) application for smartphones."

Israel has also launched comprehensive security preparations ahead of the visit, with the Israeli Police Commissioner warning that there would be some upset to the lives of Jerusalem residents. "It is an operation on a national scale," said Yohanan Danino.

When the president arrives, he will be met by senior officials including President Shimon Peres, the IDF chief of staff and the president of Israel's Supreme Court.

The visit, which is expected to involve discussions on the direction of peace talks, will also see President Obama tour sites including the Israel Museum, Ramallah and Mount Herzl, where he will lay a wreath on the grave of Yitzhak Rabin.