Donald Trump speaking at the 2016 AIPAC Policy Conference. Image by Getty

By Naomi Zeveloff May 18, 2017

Team Trump is causing chaos for Israeli officials as they prepare for the U.S. president’s first visit to Israel, according to a report in the Israeli news site Ynet.

The American team sent to Israel is “considered junior, lacks the authority to make decisions and frequently changes its mind,” said Ynet. The Israelis have chalked up the lack of organization to “first visit symptoms.”

The biggest problem is last minute changes to Trump’s itinerary. Trump was originally planning to speak at Masada, the ancient desert fortress that is a highly nationalistic site in Israel. Team Trump changed the visit from Tuesday to Monday of next week because of predicted hot weather, and then scrapped the Masada speech altogether. Trump will speak at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem instead.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Israelis and Americans disagreed over the pomp around Trump’s landing at the airport. The Israeli team proposed a an airport reception with speeches by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump, but the Americans were “resolutely opposed” to the idea, proposing quick handshakes and the Israeli and American national anthems.

Contact Naomi Zeveloff at [email protected] or on Twitter @naomizeveloff

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount