US President Joe Biden is visiting Israel at the start of a landmark regional tour, which will include a controversial trip to Saudi Arabia.
It is his first journey to the Middle East since taking office. Mr Biden will also meet the Palestinian president as well as Israeli and Saudi leaders.
Palestinians have expressed frustration that the US has not done more for them since his presidency began in 2021.
But the main focus will be on his Saudi trip due to tensions over human rights.
Mr Biden has faced criticism over his planned meeting on Saturday with the kingdom's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was accused by US intelligence agencies of approving the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018. The prince denied the allegations, and Saudi prosecutors blamed "rogue" Saudi agents.
When he was campaigning for the presidency in 2019, Mr Biden vowed to make Saudi Arabia "the pariah that they are" for killing Khashoggi, who lived in the US and wrote a column for the Washington Post.
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