On Eve of US Trip, Netanyahu Prays at Western Wall

Hours before flying to Washington to try to scuttle an emerging US nuclear deal with Tehran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a high-profile visit Saturday to Judaism's holiest prayer site.

Wearing a black skullcap, he rested his hands on Jerusalem's Western Wall while praying briefly, before turning to face a bank of microphones.

Netanyahu expressed his respect for US President Barack Obama, but stood firm on his bid to persuade Congress to fight Obama's Iran plans.

"I believe in the strength of the relations between Israel and the United States," he said. "That strength will prevail over differences of opinion, those in the past and those yet to come."

More