The latest on the gathering in Jerusalem of dozens of world leaders for the World Holocaust Forum, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp (all times local):
10:35 a.m.
Israel’s prime minister is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of a gathering in Jerusalem marking 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen disembark from a plane upon their arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport to attend the World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem memorial centre, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. (Ammar AwadPool Photo via AP)
Ahead of their meeting on Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu praised the ties between Israel and Russia, which have grown closer since Russia began its involvement in the war in neighboring Syria.
During Putin’s visit, Netanyahu will dedicate a monument honoring the the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad. The city, now known as St. Petersburg, is Putin’s hometown.
Putin also plans to meet with the mother of an Israeli tourist who was jailed in Russia for carrying a few grams of hashish. Her mother told reporters earlier Thursday she was optimistic that her daughter, Naama, would be pardoned.
From left, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, and Spain's King Felipe VI pose for a photograph during a dinner reception in Jerusalem on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. Dozens of world leaders have descended upon Jerusalem for the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust and combating modern-day anti-Semitism. (Heidi LevinePool photo via AP)
French President Emmanuel Macron, center, visits the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. Dozens of world leaders have descended upon Jerusalem for the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust and combating modern-day anti-Semitism. (AP PhotoMahmoud Illean)
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence waves as he disembarks from a plane with his wife Karen upon their arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport to attend the World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem memorial centre, near TTel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020. (Ammar AwadPool Photo via AP)