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JERUSALEM, Jan. 23-- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence met with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday, stressing tight alliance between the U.S. and Israel will only grow stronger. The meeting took place at the President's Residency in Jerusalem, on the final day of Pence's three-day visit. Pence said that U.S. President Donald Trump "truly believes" that his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will "set the table to move forward in meaning negotiation to achieve a lasting peace and end the decades-long conflict." Rivlin responded saying, "Inshallah," meaning "god willing" in Arabic. Pence also said that Trump's administration stands besides Israel and is committed to stronger alliance between the two countries. On Tuesday, Pence is expected to visit Yad-Vashem, Israel's Holocaust museum, and lay a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance. His trip will be concluded with a private visit to the Western Wall, a holy Jewish site located in east Jerusalem's Old City, a territory annexed by Israel after the 1967 Middle East war. The Western Wall is located on the foot of the al-Aqsa mosque compound, a focal point of the tensions in east Jerusalem. Citing fears of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, the police plan to close part of the area during the visit and increase its presence in the Old City. Pence kicked off his visit to Israel on Monday with a speech in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, marking the first address of a sitting vice president to the Knesset. | 
