Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, will land in Israel for a one-day trip Wednesday. While in Israel, Sullivan will meet with President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister and Prime Minister-designate Yair Lapid, as well as his Israeli counterpart Dr. Eyal Hulata.
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Sullivan will also head to Ramallah, where, according to a statement from a US NSC spokeswoman, he is expected to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. According to the statement, the two will discuss "ongoing efforts to further strengthen US-Palestinian ties and advance peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike."
According to a recent Times of Israel report, Washington has suspended its efforts to reopen an independent diplomatic mission in the capital that would serve Palestinians.
According to one source who spoke with TOI, the US's posture comes in anticipation of a rift with Israel over Iran, and the administration prefers to avoid another point of friction with the Jewish state.
Sullivan will arrive in Israel as the US prepares for the eighth round of talks with Iran.
Officials in Jerusalem believe that if the West were to adopt a firmer stance on Iran, Tehran would be more willing to bend to their demands.
"The international community has a heavy sword with which to threaten Iran, but it is scared to use it and is therefore not brandishing it," one Israeli official said.
Among Israeli officials, the assessment is that should the Vienna talks collapse, the Middle East will enter a period of crisis that will see Iranian attacks on ships and international facilities.
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