John Ratcliffe's first official visit to the Jewish state since taking office comes amid U.S. attempts to revive negotiations on a nuclear deal with the Iranian regime, as well as with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Despite its small size, Israel, the world’s eighth-largest arms exporter, is poised to capitalize on Europe’s €800 billion defense spending surge over the next four years, offering battle-proven technologies like precise artillery, drones, and cyber defenses.

Former hostage Gadi Moses, an elderly man who survived Hamas captivity against all odds and inspired countless people with his perseverance, was honored at an Israeli soccer game and gifted a custom jersey to raucous applause.

The couple met while working at Pitchon-Lev, an apolitical NGO established in 1998 as a national humanitarian organization focused on breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty in Israel.