In what is likely to be the last visit by a senior member of the Obama administration, Biden will visit Israel next week to discuss regional issues of concern.
US Vice-President Joe Biden will arrive in Israel for a two-day visit next week, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Wednesday.
Netanyahu had announced mid-February that the American dignitary would be coming to Jerusalem in the near future, and preparations were already being made. “It is clear that Vice-President Biden is a welcome guest in Israel anytime he decides to come here,” the Israeli prime minister stated at the time.
Biden will land at Ben-Gurion Airport late afternoon next Tuesday. The reception will be low-key. There will be a red carpet, but no welcoming ceremony or speeches, the Government Press Office said.
Talks are expected to include the Palestinian wave of terror, the American defense package to Israel and regional threats. A number of analysts have noted that it will likely be the last visit to Israel by a senior member of the Obama administration, in light of the upcoming US elections in November.
Biden’s last trip to Israel was in 2014, to attend the funeral of late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. A previous visit in 2010 sparked a diplomatic spat with Washington, when Israel announced Jerusalem construction plans during Biden’s stay.
Biden, traveling with his wife, will also visit the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Dubai before flying back to Washington.
By: United with Israel Staff