Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Barack Obama arrived in Tel Aviv today for his first official visit as President in the hope of resurrecting troubled relations with both Israel and Palestine. The US president is set to hold talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later today and visit the occupied West Bank on Thursday where he will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Although the White House acknowledged that it is not expecting a tangible outcome from Obama’s visit, US officials said that the president will seek to encourage Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, in addition to discuss the Iranian nuclear project and Syrian civil war.

Obama began his three-day visit to Israel with a strong pledge of support for Israeli national security. Speaking on the tarmac of Ben Gurion airport, he said: “I see this visit as an opportunity to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between our nations, to restate America’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security, and to speak direction to the people of Israel and your neighbors.”

“I am confident in declaring that our alliance is eternal, is forever” he added.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Obama for America’s continuing support of Israel, saying “Thank you Mr. President for upholding the Jewish people’s right to a Jewish state in our historic homeland . . . and for boldly upholding that right in the United Nations.”

He also emphasized that “in an unstable and uncertain Middle East the need for our alliance is greater than ever. It is the key to securing a stable and secure peace.”

However Palestinian tent protests have already cast a pall over the US president’s visit. Palestinian activist group Popular Struggle issued a statement claiming that hundreds of Palestinians had arrived this morning at Eizariya in the West Bank and erected around 15 tents to protest against Israeli settlement building and Obama’s visit.

Prior to this, Palestinian protesters clashed with riot police on the eve of Obama’s visit, pledging to step up their public protests against the US president in the coming days.

Obama will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Thursday. He will reportedly fly the short distance between Jerusalem and Ramallah by helicopter, thereby avoiding having to cross the Israeli separation barrier that divides the two cities.