Bill De Belasio, Mayor of New York City, kicked off a brief visit to Israel on Saturday that he has described as a solidarity mission.
"It is a privilege to be in Israel at this hard moment, in the city of Tel Aviv that represents tolerance and demonstrates how a unified society can look like," said at the end of the meeting.
Ahead of the trip, de Blasio said the visit has "taken on extra meaning now because of the crisis in Israel" and said it was "very important to stand in solidarity with Israel."
The three-day trip is being paid for by Baruch Eliezer Gross, a Brooklyn resident and founder of the Besadno Group, an investment firm with offices in Jerusalem and New York.