Pence Visit Was a Balm to Israelis. Now Back to Reality. Reuven Rivlin, the mostly ceremonial president of Israel, praised Mr. Pence for backing the Trump administration’s words with action and called him a "mensch." Before leaving for Davos, Mr. Netanyahu said Mr. Pence had given "exceptional expression to the powerful relationship between Israel and the United States." But Israeli analysts and political opponents noted that once the visit of Mr. Pence was over, it would be back to reality for Mr. Netanyahu in a less ethereal Jerusalem. The overall impact on politics here will be next to zero, or zero." With the Israeli police expected to recommend charges against Mr. Netanyahu, possibly within weeks, Mr. Wolfsfeld said that the Pence visit was little more than a distraction and that it would end up "a footnote in history." Avi Gabbay, the leader of the center-left Labor Party, thanked Mr. Pence on Monday for his support of Israel. We remain with 4.5 million Palestinians, and this visit does not change this fact, and this visit also does not change our obligation to solve this problem and not to roll it over to our children." Mr. Pence was the first United States vice president to address the Knesset, or parliament, and members of Mr. Netanyahu’s right-wing government reached for superlatives to describe the event. 23, 2018 JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel positively basked in the glow of Vice President Mike Pence’s visit here, though it may yet turn out to be the halcyon days of a drawn-out, gloomy winter. Mr. Pence wrapped up his stay here on Tuesday with a silent reflection at the Western Wall, the sacred Jewish prayer site in the contested Old City, a day after thrilling much of the Israeli Parliament by announcing that a new United States Embassy would open in Jerusalem before the end of 2019. Still, when Mr. Pence told the Israeli legislators that the Trump administration was committed to achieving a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians and would support a two-state solution to the conflict if both sides agreed, Mr. Netanyahu, who jumped up for numerous standing ovations, did not applaud.
