( CNN ) -- This week , Barack Obama will embark on his first trip to Israel as president . The visit will enable him to engage , experience and touch Israelis in ways that move and bolster us . In seemingly small gestures that are nevertheless immensely meaningful to Israelis , and in declarations designed to be heard throughout the region , Obama will reinforce Israel 's legitimacy and reassure a nation facing monumental challenges . Israelis will know -- justly , incontestably -- that we are not alone . That realization will contrast with earlier reports of Israeli skepticism about Obama and his commitment to the Jewish state . Israel is situated in a region rife with turmoil , anti-Semitism , and terror , and its survival is threatened daily . Though the Israel Defense Forces are formidable , Israelis need to feel that the leader of our greatest ally , America , always stands beside us . Obama sought to allay these concerns , telling the U.N. General Assembly in September 2011 that `` the Jewish people have forged a successful state in their historic homeland . '' He repeatedly upheld the unbreakable bonds between the U.S. and Israel , and his total dedication to Israel 's security . Now the president has chosen Israel as the first foreign destination of his second term . Immediately after landing , he will visit a battery of the anti-missile system , Iron Dome . Designed by Israel and funded by the president and the Congress , this particular battery was deployed at the height of November 's fighting with Hamas and within an hour intercepted a terrorist rocket heading for Tel Aviv . The only anti-missile system in history to succeed in combat , Iron Dome saved lives and avoided war , affording the Israeli government the precious time needed to negotiate a cease-fire . While speaking with the young soldiers who man Iron Dome , Obama will remind the Middle East of America 's pledge to enable Israel to defend itself by itself against all enemies . Less dramatic , perhaps , but no less significant will be the president 's tour of the Israel Museum 's treasure , the Shrine of the Book . A white-tiled structure recalling the ancient jars in which they were hidden , the Shrine houses the Dead Sea Scrolls , the world 's oldest Jewish manuscripts . By surveying Hebrew texts composed in or around Jerusalem thousands of years ago , Obama will signal the unbroken link between the Jewish people and their ancient land . That message will be reiterated at Obama 's last stop . Ascending the mount that serves as Israel 's equivalent to Arlington National Cemetery , the president will lay a wreath at the grave of Benjamin Ze'ev ( Theodor ) Herzl . Fifty years before the Holocaust , Herzl envisioned the creation of a Jewish state in the land of Israel and fathered the Zionist movement . In 2010 , former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva , an outspoken friend of Iran , refused to pay similar homage to Herzl . Doing so , he knew , meant acknowledging the Jewish people 's unassailable right to self-determination in their forebears ' land . But Obama will do just that , while the Middle East watches . There will be other highlights in the president 's visit . He will tour Yad Vashem , Israel 's national Holocaust memorial , not to associate Israel 's creation with the Nazis ' Final Solution , but rather to reaffirm Israel 's right to defend itself from genocidal threats , such as those made by Iran . The president will also address an audience of hundreds of students from leading Israeli universities , who will be eager to hear his vision for Israel and the Middle East and his appreciation of Israel 's many accomplishments in the technological and scientific fields . Beyond the public events , though , Obama will be meeting at length with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu . Contrary to press reports , their relationship has been open and friendly . This will mark their 10th meeting and , indeed , Obama says that he has spoken to the prime minister more frequently than any foreign leader . The two leaders will discuss issues of critical importance to the security of both nations -- restarting unconditional peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians to create a solution based on two states for two peoples , monitoring Syria 's chemical weapons arsenal and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability . Presumably , these issues will also be raised in the president 's meetings in the West Bank and Jordan . The message , however , will be the same : America remains committed to security and peace in the Middle East and dedicated to a safe and recognized Jewish state of Israel . Israel will show its appreciation for that resolve when President Shimon Peres bestows on our visitor Israel 's highest civilian medal , the Presidential Medal of Distinction . By the time Air Force One takes off from Ben Gurion Airport , it will undoubtedly leave behind an Israeli people profoundly affected and reassured . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael Oren .
Israeli ambassador : Barack Obama making first trip to Israel as president . Michael Oren says trip will reinforce Israel 's legitimacy and reassure the nation . Obama will inspect anti-missile battery and visit grave of father of Zionism , he says . Oren : US is not going to be a bystander in Middle East conflict.