Houston Meets Sharon During Israel Visit
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AP Photo
Wed May 28, 6:03 AM ET
Whitney Houston, on an inspirational trip to the Holy Land, met Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
"It's home, it's home," she said when Sharon asked her how she felt in Israel. She and her husband, singer Bobby Brown, stood next to Sharon on an outdoor patio before their meeting on Tuesday. Houston wore a scarlet African-style dress with a white lace front and a wide scarlet headband, narrow sunglasses shading her eyes.
Houston, who arrived Sunday evening, is being hosted by the Black Hebrews, a group of nearly 2,000 black Americans who followed a Chicago bus driver to Israel decades ago and believe they are descendants of one of the lost tribes of Israelites.
Their religious customs include a vegan diet and polygamy, and they have a well-regarded choir at their compound in the desert town of Dimona. Israel does not recognize them as Jews.
Sharon welcomed Houston and Brown to Jerusalem, which he called "the capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years." Noting that this was their first trip to Israel, Sharon said he hoped it would be the first of many, to which Houston replied, "Yes."
Houston, who is to stay for a week, plans to visit holy sites in the country, including the Western Wall and the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel.
Before arriving in Jerusalem, the 39-year-old singer visited the southern resort of Eilat.
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