US President Joe Biden’s trip to Israel and the West Bank has been tentatively set for July 14 and 15, an Israeli official confirmed on Sunday to The Times of Israel.
Biden officials say a Middle East tour, with a stop in Saudi Arabia, is in the works but a date has not yet been finalized. It was originally set to take place in late June but was delayed to July due to what a US official said were scheduling issues.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Much of the trip is still being planned, but it will include the traditional bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, President Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz in Israel, and with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, the Israeli official said. The official added that the latter sit-down is slated to take place in Bethlehem and that Biden is also expected to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and East Jerusalem.
But the White House appeared to be paying more attention to Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia, which will be the same week as the Israel visit.
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The Israeli official said the trip delay was because the White House was still debating certain aspects of the Saudi stopover, which is politically sensitive, as Biden had said as part of his presidential campaign that he would treat the kingdom as a “pariah” state over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Shortly after taking office, Biden released the intelligence report that said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman had authorized Khashoggi’s killing.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, speaks during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 14, 2021. (Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP, File)
Biden also scaled back US support for a Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen amid revulsion over civilian casualties.
NBC News, which first reported the delay, said the Biden administration is putting together plans to hold a summit in July with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which is made up of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.
The administration is looking to shore up its Mideast alliances and press Riyadh to increase oil production, given surging energy prices worldwide.
Speculation over the upcoming trip intensified in recent days, with some reports linking the journey to US-brokered talks between Egypt and Saudi Arabia that could include steps toward normalization with Israel.
A US delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State Barbara Leaf is currently in the region for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials, ahead of Biden’s visit.
