Biden lands in Israel at start of high-stakes Middle East visit

US President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday, kicking off a high-stakes trip to the Middle East dominated by efforts to persuade Gulf allies to pump more oil.

Biden will spend two days in Jerusalem for talks with Israeli leaders before meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday in the occupied West Bank.

Afterward, he will take a direct flight from Israel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - a first for an American president - on Friday for talks with Saudi officials and to attend a summit of Gulf allies.

Biden's trip - the first to the Middle East as president - aims to promote regional stability.

"This trip will reinforce a vital American role in a strategically consequential region," US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Monday.

Biden, under pressure at home to bring down soaring gasoline prices that have damaged his standing in public opinion polls, is expected to press Gulf allies to expand oil production to help bring down gasoline prices.

Biden will make brief remarks on Wednesday at an arrival ceremony in Israel and he will receive a briefing from Israeli defense officials on the US-supported Iron Dome defense system and a new laser-enabled system called Iron Beam.

Biden will also meet past prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, now the opposition leader.