JERUSALEM (JTA) — Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and the rest of the official American delegation to Israel for the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem arrived in Israel.
The delegation is led by Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also arrived with the White House advisors on Sunday. Jason Greenblatt, the president’s Middle East envoy, is also part of the delegation.
Kushner and Trump both warmly embraced U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman upon disembarking from the plane. Later on Sunday, Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu though it was not reported what the two discussed.
Twelve members of Congress that make up the some 250-person strong delegation to the dedication of the Jerusalem Embassy were scheduled to arrive independently before the ceremony on Monday afternoon.
Prior to leaving Washington on Saturday night, Ivanka Trump posted on her social media accounts a photo of herself at the Western Wall during her visit to Israel with the president last year.
“With great joy, I am returning to Jerusalem,” she wrote in the post. “I am honored to join the distinguished delegation representing President Trump, his Administration, and the American people at this momentous ceremony commemorating the opening of our new US Embassy in Jerusalem, Israel. We look forward to celebrating Israel’s 70th anniversary and the bright future ahead. We will pray for the boundless potential of the future of the U.S.-Israel alliance, and we will pray for peace.”
The embassy dedication is scheduled for Monday afternoon at the former Jerusalem consulate in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Arnona.
Demonstrations in Gaza and the West Bank are expected and will be violent, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
