It's not going to be all rousing cheers and adoring accolades.
Barack Obama's diplomatic skills will get a real workout this week as he wraps up his congressional fact-finding in Iraq and Afghanistan. He next meets Israeli and Palestinian authorities who will have pointed questions about his policies toward Iran - and who likely haven't forgotten his recent remark about an "undivided" Jersualem, either.
Obama is traveling with a team of advisers and experts and will likely try to stick to prepared remarks to avoid any missteps.
But Israeli officials - with whom he's reportedly meeting on Tuesday - will press him to define his policies about nuclear power and Iran, experts said.
"The Israelis are going to have real questions about Iran, and about how he views taking out nuclear facilities there - if they haven't done it already themselves by the time [President] Bush leaves," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics.
"He absolutely has to avoid any major gaffes that will haunt him to November."
Obama saw how quickly tensions can inflate after an off-the-cuff remark to Jewish supporters last month that Jerusalem should remain an "undivided capital" outraged many in the Muslim world.
Obama's camp quickly backpedaled and said the senator endorsed official US policy that Jerusalem was a "final-status issue" to be decided in negotiations.
But Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who will reportedly sit down with Obama on Wednesday, was sharply critical of the comment.
"That topic will come up, on both sides. He'll get asked about it," said former State Department Mideast analyst Graeme Bannerman.
"He's got to remember he's speaking to Americans - he's in a campaign, after all - even if that means he has to say things that make the locals very nervous
