Melania slaps at Trump who tries to hold her hand

TEL AVIV: A video of US President Donald Trump touching down in Tel Aviv on Monday shows the first lady very clearly slapping at her husband when he tried to hold her hand at Ben Gurion Airport, reported foreign media.

The video shows Melania was walking a half-step behind her husband and managed to rebuff his advance without showing any clear emotion or breaking her stride, while the commander-in-chief responded by using the rejected hand to carefully adjust his tie. It was unclear if this unexpected resistance was the result of any personal turmoil, or simply because of the carpet's narrow size.

Whatever underlying issue led to the first lady's rejection of her husband's attempt to hold hands appeared to have resolved itself by the time the two were leaving Tel Aviv. Melania could be seen graciously extending a small part of her hand to Trump after the pair said farewell to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara.

Video showed the first lady as she wrapped two of her fingers around one of her husband's fingers for a few seconds while leading him towards their awaiting helicopter. She also got involved in a four-way hand hold with Netanyahu, Sara and her husband, with the four laying their hands on top of one another as they posed for a press photo.

Melania and Trump also kept their hands to themselves while in Jerusalem on Monday afternoon. The two were first seen not holding hands while touring the Church of the Holy Sepulchre before walking the streets of the Old City, where again their hands did not meet.

Their final stop was the Western Wall, where due to law and tradition holding hands was not a possibility for the couple as men and women are segregated at the site. Trump became the first sitting president to visit the holy site, where he was accompanied by the Western Wall's rabbi, Shmuel Rabinovitz.

Melania meanwhile visited the women's side of the Wall with her stepdaughter Ivanka. Photos also showed Melania and Trump while they toured the residence of President Pivfin and his wife. The couple again did not hold hands, though Melania was later seen walking hand-in-hand with Nechama Rivfin through the halls of the estate.