LOS ANGELES, April 30: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is scheduled to travel this weekend to Israel, his first foreign trip since he took office, despite warnings by the US government not to visit the Middle East citing terrorism threats.

An official at his office in Sacramento said details of the trip had yet to be confirmed. The Austrian-born movie star turned governor was expected to be present for the groundbreaking of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's new Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem.

He also is set to meet Israeli government leaders, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Economy Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, seeking tighter commercial links between the Jewish state and California, the official said. -AFP