STORY: Biden lit the Eternal Flame, placed a wreath and then signed the visitor's book.

A memorial ceremony was held in the Hall of Remembrance, where he met with two Holocaust survivors.

The American president arrived in Israel earlier on Wednesday, as the country embraced him as an old friend on the first leg of a high-stakes trip dominated by efforts to bring it closer to Saudi Arabia and to persuade Washington's Gulf allies to pump more oil.

Biden's trip aims to promote regional stability, deepen Israel's integration in the region and counter Iranian influence and aggression by Russia and China.