The White House is considering holding a regional leaders' meeting as part of President Biden's visit to Israel

Israeli officials say the US president is expected to arrive in Israel in the last two weeks of June.

The White House National Security Adviser is discussing with his Israeli counterpart, Eyal Hulta, the possibility of convening a meeting with the participation of the American president, Prime Minister Bennett and Arab leaders in Israel or in one of the countries in the region.

Lightning Ravid

03/05/2022

Tuesday, 03 May 2022, 12:53 Updated: 12:54

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The White House and the Prime Minister's Office have held talks on the possibility of holding a regional leaders' meeting as part of President Biden's visit to the Middle East scheduled for the end of June, Walla!

Two senior Israeli officials.

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why is it important

• A regional leadership meeting chaired by President Biden, if held, would symbolize American leadership and commitment to the Middle East at a time when the feeling in many countries is that the U.S. has gradually withdrawn from the region.

In the news

During Biden's phone call with Prime Minister Bennett on April 24, the US president received an invitation to visit Israel in the coming months, the White House has officially announced.

• A senior Israeli official said that National Security Adviser Eyal Hulta met with his American counterpart Jake Aliban at the White House a day after the phone call and discussed with him the details of the planned visit.

The big picture

• Sullivan and Hulta discussed the possibility of adding a regional element to Biden's visit to Israel.

One of the ideas that came up in the conversation was to hold a meeting between Biden and Bennett and some Arab leaders in Israel or another country in the region, according to a senior Israeli official.

• The goal behind such a regional meeting is to continue the momentum of the "Negev Summit" that took place at the end of March in Sde Boker and send a message to the world about the importance of the "Abraham Agreements" and the need to strengthen them.

The senior Israeli official noted that contacts on the issue are still in their infancy and it is unclear whether it will be possible to hold such a regional meeting.

Israel is very interested in holding an event of this kind and talks on the issue between the parties are still ongoing.

The situation

• Israeli officials said a final date for Biden's visit to Israel had not yet been set, but it was expected to take place during the last two weeks of June.

• Biden's visit is expected to be relatively short and last 24-36 hours during which the US President will hold meetings with senior Israeli officials in Jerusalem and with senior Palestinian officials in Bethlehem.

• This will be Biden's first visit to the Middle East since taking office as president.

It is still unclear whether he will take advantage of the visit to reach other countries in the region.

• The White House's preliminary preparation team arrived in Israel yesterday (Monday) and will hold talks with officials in Israel and the Palestinian Authority to begin building the schedule and contents of the visit.

What are they saying

• The White House declined to comment but did not deny the details knowing.

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