Jerusalem - President Joe Biden, will spend Thursday navigating Israel’s chaotic politics as he meets with the country’s leaders to bolster cooperation with the United States and other nations.
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday to kick off a high-stakes trip to the Middle East dominated by efforts to persuade Gulf allies to pump more oil.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid, the head of Israels’s interim government and US President Joe Biden will sign a joint declaration on Thursday that will include the administration’s backing for extending the massive defense package Washington provides to the Jewish state, according to a senior US official. The leaders will emphasize their commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and are also planning to launch a strategic initiative on high-tech collaboration according to a senior official.
Israeli officials briefing reporters ahead of the trip referred to the joint statement as the “Jerusalem Declaration” and spoke more broadly of its emphasis.
In addition, the two leaders are scheduled to hold a joint news conference and host a virtual summit with India and the United Arab Emirates, a collection of countries known as the I2U2. This new forum will allow US allies to better address global challenges by working together, an official said.
The Palestinian issue was not included in the main points of the declaration highlighted by the senior US official.
Asked to comment on the COVID protocols for the trip, which were used to explain the directive issued to Israeli ministers at the welcome ceremony not to expect handshakes from Biden, the senior US official insisted that no such guidance had been issued on the US end.
Biden also will receive the nation’s top civilian honor, the presidential medal of honor, from Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday.
He’s also scheduled to meet with U.S. athletes who are participating in the Maccabiah Games. Also known as the “Jewish Olympics,” it’s the country’s largest sporting event that’s held every four years for Israeli and Jewish athletes from all over world.
-Ap/TOIS