Bethlehem security forces brace for Trump visit

Posters around the city hail US President as "Man of Peace."

Palestinians tighten security ahead of Trump's visit (credit: REUTERS)
Palestinians stepped up security on Tuesday across Bethlehem as the West Bank town prepared for the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Police forces patrolled the empty streets decorated with U.S. and Palestinian flags and a large poster welcomed the president as "the man of peace."

On the second day of his visit to the holy land, Trump will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem and the Palestinian leader said he hoped the meeting could be "useful and fruitful."

Trump, who met Israeli leaders on Monday has vowed to do whatever necessary to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians, dubbing a peace accord "the ultimate deal". But so far he gave little indication of how he could revive talks that collapsed in 2014.

According to Israeli media reports, Abbas will discuss with Trump the demands of Palestinian prisoners serving sentences in Israeli prisons. Last month scores of Palestinian security prisoners launched a hunger strike to pressure Israel into improving their conditions. The prisoners are widely supported by the Palestinian public.