Ahead of Biden's visit to Israel: The head of the National Security Council will leave for Washington next week

Hulta will meet at the White House with his American counterpart, Jake Sullivan, to move forward in preparing for the president's visit scheduled for the end of June.

Hulta will arrive in Washington with a senior delegation for talks on Iran and will receive an update on US mediation efforts between Israel and Saudi Arabia

Lightning Ravid

26/05/2022

Thursday, 26 May 2022, 19:10 Updated: 20:34

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National Security Adviser Il Hulta will travel to Washington next week and meet with his White House counterpart Jake Sullivan to discuss preparations for US President Joe Biden's visit to Israel scheduled for the end of June, Walla!

Three senior Israeli officials.

More on Walla!

The US mediates between Israel and Saudi Arabia on regulating islands in the Red Sea - Jerusalem wants normalization moves

To the full article

why is it important

• Hulta is leading in front of the White House the indirect contacts with Saudi Arabia on the regulation of the islands of Tiran and Sanfir and on the parallel move to promote normalization measures towards Israel on the part of Saudi Arabia.

  The Americans are striving to complete the move ahead of the president's visit.

• The National Security Adviser, who has been coordinating the Israeli Revolutionary Guards campaign in recent months, will arrive in Washington against the background of the American decision not to remove the organization from the terrorist list without significant Iranian compensation.

In the news

• Senior Israeli officials have said that the National Security Adviser will travel to Washington with a delegation of senior representatives from the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mossad and the IDF for another conference of the Strategic Forum on Iran known as the Leshem Forum.

• The main issue that is expected to arise in the discussions is the need to formulate an alternative action plan for a scenario in which there is no return to the nuclear agreement in the foreseeable future.

  Israel is expected to ask in talks with the United States next week to advance a condemnation decision against Iran during the convening of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna in about two weeks.

• Hulta is expected to receive a detailed update during talks in Washington on President Biden's senior advisers' visit to Saudi Arabia this week.

  One of the issues that came up during the visit was the American mediation between Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt on the regulation of the islands in the Red Sea and Saudi normalization moves towards Israel.

Behind the Scenes

• For the past year, Hulata has been Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's main liaison to the White House, especially on the Iranian issue.

  Hulta's involvement in the nuclear deal and the political campaign against Iran began in his previous role at the Mossad.

• Hulta has taken a tough stance on Israel's key positions on the Iranian issue, along with a moderate stance on the style of dealing with the White House and other senior Biden government officials.

• In cabinet discussions and other closed debates, Hulta stressed that it is in Israel's interest to maintain normal relations with the Biden administration despite the disputes over the Iranian issue.

  His message was that even if there was an agreement or not, Israel would need good relations with the government the day after.

• A senior Israeli official noted that the vast majority of contacts between the Prime Minister's Office and the White House on the Revolutionary Guards took place on the axis between Hulta and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan and President Biden's senior adviser on Middle East affairs Brett McGrack.

• "Hulta recognized the rift created between Iran and the Americans on the issue of the Revolutionary Guards and harnessed the system in Israel for a campaign on the issue," said a senior Israeli official.

• Three senior Israeli officials said that unlike political adviser Shimrit Meir, whose relations with senior Foreign Ministry and Defense officials were shaky and strained, Hulta worked closely with both Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Ushpiz and senior Defense Ministry officials.

What next

At this stage, no final date has yet been set for President Biden's visit to Israel.

The possible dates that have come up so far for the arrival of the president were June 19 or 20.

Israeli officials hope that during Hulata's visit it will be possible to set a final date for the visit.

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Tags

• Eyal Hulata

• United States

• Joe Biden