Jerusalem24– The White House announced today that President Joe Biden will visit Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia between 13 and 16 July.
“President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will visit the Middle East region from July 13-16 to reinforce the United States’ iron-clad commitment to Israel’s security and prosperity and attend a Summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan (known as the GCC+3). He will also meet with counterparts from across the region, to advance U.S. security, economic, and diplomatic interests.”
The announcement comes after president Biden postponed his planned visit to the region from the end of June to July. Political analysts and Israeli government officials reportedly feared the visit would not take place due to Israeli political turmoil.
The White House statement confirmed that the visit was originally planned after an invitation from the Israelis.
This will be Biden’s first Middle East tour since taking office.
The President will visit the West Bank to consult with the Palestinian Authority in order to “reiterate his strong support for a two-state solution, with equal measures of security, freedom, and opportunity for the Palestinian people.”
President Biden is also planning to visit Saudi Arabia, which is the current chair of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the venue for a gathering of GCC leaders from across the region, at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud.
