The State Department has gotten its way claiming that visits to the Kotel are ‘needlessly inflammatory’.
Here’s an NBC bit that emphasizes:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nikki-haley-says-what-white-house-won-t-western-wall-n761071
... And while Trump would be the first sitting president to visit the Western Wall, the administration has taken pains to point out that the president is making the pilgrimage as a private person.
Also, US representatives in Jerusalem reportedly angered the Israelis by turning down a request to have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tag along.
Why? Because the Western Wall is in East Jerusalem, which the Israelis seized from the Jordanians in 1967 along with the West Bank and which is not officially recognized as Israeli territory...
Hmm...so perhaps denying Bibi the visit is a fine distinction to add credence that this is a private visit..not a State visit.
Tillerson was at the Western Wall, too. I guess as a private visit.