Reports: Trump to skip ancient Israeli site over conflict about helicopter landing

President Trump has reportedly decided against visiting an ancient site in Israel because authorities would not allow to land his helicopter there.

According to Newsweek, during his upcoming trip, he had been slated to give a speech atop Masada, a UNESCO World Heritage site noted for its historical and architectural significance.

However, when Trump's team was told that he would have to land at the bottom of the site and take a cable car up, like his predecessors George W. Bush and Bill Clinton had, they decided to relocate the speech to the Israel Museum.

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Local news site Arutz Sheva points out that hot weather had been cited as the reason for the change, but the transportation issue was the real problem; in fact, the outlet has characterized it as the "US president's unwillingness to follow Israeli official directives."

According to the Jerusalem Post, helicopters had previously been allowed to land on Masada's summit, but the policy was changed in the 1990s after a visit by a U.S. Air Force commander resulted in damage due to winds generated by the propellers.

While Israeli leaders have not commented on the schedule shift, a former U.S. ambassador to the country, Martin Indyk, tweeted Thursday that their mood had "soured" over the Masada cancellation.

Meanwhile, Arutz Sheva's report says that "The Masada site expressed its disappointment but stated that with or without Trump Masada [will] remain a central part of Jewish history."