UPDATE – Biden arrives in Israel at start of Mideast tour

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – US President Joe Biden landed at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday at the start of his Middle East tour.

Biden was welcomed at the airport by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, his deputy Naftali Bennett and President Isaac Herzog, according to The Times of Israel newspaper.

"You need not be a Jew to be Zionist," Biden said upon his arrival, repeating past comments he made about Israel.

"This is my tenth visit, and every chance I have to return to this ancient land is a blessing because the connection between the American people and Israeli people is deep," Biden said. "The connection between the Israeli people and the American people is bone deep, and generation after generation that connection grows as we invest in each other and dream together."

Lapid, for his part, described Biden's visit as historic as "it expresses the unbreakable bond between our two countries."

The Israeli premier called Biden “one of the best friends Israel has ever known,” and referred to the US president calling himself a Zionist in the past.

Biden will visit the West Bank as part of his tour where he will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The US president is scheduled to fly directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia on Friday to participate in an Arab regional summit in Jeddah city with the participation of Arab leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt.