Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will travel to Washington today to hold a series of policy meetings, including a White House meeting with 46-year-old President Joe Biden, their first meeting since taking office.
At the center of the talks will probably be Israel's attempt to influence international contacts with Iran, and prevent reaching an agreement similar to the original one from 2015, in light of the fear that it will advance Iran to a nuclear bomb.
This is Bennett's first political trip, although according to unofficial reports he met with King Abdullah in Jordan in July.
The meeting with Biden is expected to take place on Thursday around noon (local time), and will take place with the continuation of global engagement in Afghanistan in the background.
A political source said that the fact that the Americans devote such precious time to the summit of physical leaders, in the midst of the various events and in parallel with the corona plague, indicates the importance of the visit on their part.
"It is worth noting that alongside the occupation of Afghanistan, the Americans still make this visit a top priority, reflecting the good spirit and American commitment to Israel, as well as the new spirit of government and the new message coming from Israel - connecting across the American political spectrum through dialogue and listening and dogmatism." So said the source.
President Biden is expected to attend a special G7 virtual conference convened today by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss the evacuation operation from Afghanistan, and it appears that during the conference serious accusations will be leveled against the president for abandoning NATO allies alongside Afghanistan in Afghanistan and lack of defense. Locals in the country.
Also, Biden's status is at a low not seen since his inauguration according to several polls.
"Very important connections"
Bennett is also expected to meet with other senior officials in the Biden administration.
The forthcoming meetings are with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, but final arrangements are still being made.
According to the political source, the current Israeli government and the administration in Washington have created "intimate, smooth and very attentive working relations, which are based on a mutual understanding regarding difficulties and priorities."
The source reiterated, as stated in last week's meeting, that Iran would be a major issue in talks between Biden and Bennett, and their teams, against the background of the new situation created following the election of Ibrahim Raisi, the most radical candidate for Iranian presidency.
The source said the meeting takes place after an orderly study conducted in Bennett's office around the Iranian issue, and the prime minister believes that "there is no real value back to the agreement because it answers less things than it answered in 2015."
In recent months, the level of uranium enrichment in Iran and the amount of uranium enriched to a high degree have skyrocketed, in parallel with talks in Vienna on a return to the agreement, and the Israeli concern is that even if the parties agree to return, Will remain, thus paving its way to the bomb.
"We received a difficult inheritance"
The source pointed an accusing finger at the previous government.
"The legacy we have received is very difficult. In the end, after all the rhetoric, Iran is at the most advanced point in its nuclear program in terms of enrichment. "The source explained.
"There is a very big challenge here and also an opportunity."
According to the source, Bennett is expected to present "an orderly strategy for dealing with this moment in history."
