"We were dismayed by press accounts earlier today reporting that, in response to a request that Prime Minister Netanyahu accompany President Trump when he visits the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, unidentified United States officials said the Kotel was not in Israel and is 'part of the West Bank, '" said Stephen Greenberg, Chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, of the Conference of Presidents, in a statement.
Israel's Channel 2 reported that during a planning meeting between US and Israeli officials, the Israelis were told that Trump's visit to the Western Wall was private, Israel did not have jurisdiction in the area and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not welcome to accompany Trump there.
Trump promised during his presidential campaign to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and recognize the city as Israel's capital and remarked on the pledge in an interview the day before his inauguration, saying: "You know, I'm not a person who breaks promises".
Israel's Channel 2 TV says the Americans rebuffed a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to join Trump and told him the site is part of the West Bank and not Israeli territory.
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An official in Netanyahu's office said the US comment was "received with astonishment" and that Israel had asked the White House for an explanation. It said the comment prompted shouting from the Israeli preparatory team.
Officials are also considering a lesser announcement outlining a USA vision for the future of Jerusalem as Israel's capital without taking any immediate action, created to help Trump save face on his campaign pledge.
When Mr Trump arrives in Israel early next week on a leg of his first foreign trip, Sheldon Adelson, a Jewish hotel magnate, is expected also to be in the country. He showed little concern about Israeli settlement construction on occupied lands claimed by the Palestinians, expressed support for recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and vowed to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The new US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, departed from diplomatic protocol by visiting the Western Wall on Monday. It's part of the West Bank. In an apparent coincidence, Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith, was visiting at the same time and briefly spoke to Friedman. He said Israel must oppose attempts to establish a Palestinian state and insist on Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem "forever".
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