Obama in the Holy Land
U.S. President Barack Obama has made his first official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, a trip focused on symbolism rather than concrete steps towards peace. During his visit, Obama met leaders on both sides and also went over their heads, appealing directly to young Israelis during a showcase speech to university students in Jerusalem, in which he urged them to press their government to drop hidebound positions and embrace compromise.
An airplane boarding staircase is seen ahead of an official ceremony to welcome U.S. President Barack Obama in Israel.
Israeli schoolchildren wave Israeli and American flags as two women standing in for Obama and his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres walk by during a rehearsal for Obama's visit at Peres' residence.
Palestinians burn a U.S. flag during a protest against Obama's visit.
Members of an Israeli military band laugh with one another ahead of a ceremony to welcome Obama.
Obama stands between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres after arriving in Tel Aviv.
He speaks at a podium in front of Air Force One, as Peres and Netanyahu look on.
A Palestinian man walks by defaced placards of Obama, ahead of the U.S. president's visit to the region.
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man looks at daredevil Greenpeace activists hanging a banner on the Bridge of Strings in Jerusalem.
Obama walks with Shimon Peres in the Israeli president's garden.
Obama and Peres embrace during an official welcoming ceremony for the U.S. president.
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks past posters calling for Obama to free Jonathan Pollard from a U.S. prison. Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, has been serving a life sentence in the United States since he was caught spying for Israel in the 1980s.
Obama and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pose for a photo with Palestinian children during a welcoming ceremony in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Israeli police officers stand near the remains of a rocket fired by Palestinian militants, which landed in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, near the Gaza border. Two rockets exploded there during Obama's visit, drawing condemnation from the U.S. president.
Obama addresses students at the Jerusalem Convention Center, during a talk in which he urged young Israelis to put themselves in the shoes of stateless Palestinians and demand their politicians take risks for peace.
Members of the audience listen as Obama delivers his speech at the convention centre.
Israeli students applaud during U.S. President Barack Obama's address.
Obama tours the Hall of Names during his visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, accompanied by Netanyahu, Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, and Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev.
Obama walks with Rabbi Israel Meir Lau in the Hall of Remembrance during his visit to the memorial.
