Trump to visit Middle East in bid to tackle terrorism

DONALD Trump will travel to Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican this month on his first foreign trip, on a mission to unite three of the world’s leading religions against intolerance, terrorism and Iran.

The US President will meet Pope Francis in Rome after his Middle East visit, before a Nato summit in Brussels and a G7 conference in Sicily.

In a speech in the White House Rose Garden yesterday (Thursday) during an event dedicated to religious liberties, Mr Trump said he would use the trip to build cooperation between Muslims, Christians and Jews for fighting terrorism.

“Our task is not to dictate to others how to live but to build a coalition of friends and partners who share the goal of fighting terrorism and bringing safety, opportunity and stability to the war-ravaged Middle East,” he said.

Mr Trump has made fighting Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) and forging peace in the Middle East a focus of his foreign policy. However, his administration has been accused of discriminating against Muslims through attempts to temporarily ban travel to the US from several-Muslim majority countries.

The president’s first stop will be Saudi Arabia, where he will meet “leaders from across the Muslim world”.

“We will begin to construct a new foundation of cooperation and support with our Muslim allies to combat extremism, terrorism and violence,” Mr Trump said. He has said he is counting on Gulf allies to spearhead the ideological battle against Isil, as well as participate in military efforts.

Mr Trump, who met with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in February, will then head to Israel. A White House official said there was a “catastrophe” unfolding in the Middle East, and that Mr Trump would use this trip to stress that Israel is not the cause of the problem.

“People blame Israel,” the official said. But he added that it is now “painfully obvious to everyone” that the violence has been brought about by “Salafist jihadists” and “also by Iran”.

Mr Trump will then head to Italy, where he is expected to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican. (© Daily Telegraph, London)