The White House announced on Tuesday that President Joe Biden will visit the region, including Israel, between July 13-16.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
In a statement, the administration said that the visit will "reinforce the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's security and prosperity and attend a Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan (known as the GCC+3)." It further said that "he will also meet with counterparts from across the region, to advance US security, economic, and diplomatic interests."
According to the emerging itinerary, the president will begin his travel in Israel, where "he will meet with Israeli leaders to discuss Israel's security, prosperity, and its increasing integration into the greater region" and then"visit the West Bank to consult with the Palestinian Authority and to reiterate his strong support for a two-state solution, with equal measures of security, freedom, and opportunity for the Palestinian people."
The White House said that the Saudi leg of the trip will follow. "The President will then travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which is the current chair of the GCC and the venue for this gathering of nine leaders from across the region, at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. The President appreciates King Salman's leadership and his invitation. He looks forward to this important visit to Saudi Arabia, which has been a strategic partner of the United States for nearly eight decades. "
US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides told Israel Hayom before the official announcement that "President Biden loves Israel, and his visit will show that."
According to a senior official in the administration who spoke with Reuters, Joe Biden will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a part of the trip despite concerns about human rights. The official did not provide specific details on the meeting with bin Salman.
Earlier this month, the White House said Biden still felt bin Salman was a "pariah" for what US intelligence says was his role in the killing and dismembering of a political opponent, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in Turkey in 2018.
The senior official said if Biden "determines it's in his interest to engage with any particular leader, and if such an engagement can deliver results, then he will do so."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
