Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Israeli military’s headquarters in Tel Aviv Sunday. The two are expected to discuss the Iran nuclear deal and the Islamic Republic’s presence in Syria.
Ahead of the meeting, Netanyahu told Pompeo that Israel was very proud to be Pompeo’s first destination as secretary of state, to which Pompeo replied that Israel is an important partner which holds a special place in his heart.
Netanyhu spoke ahead of the government cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday, saying “Today we will welcome U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a true friend of Israel. I think that it is important that he is coming to Israel as part of his first visit outside the U.S. as Secretary of State.”
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The premier added that relations between Israel and the U.S. “are stronger than ever and I would like to take this opportunity to again to thank President Trump for the decision to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem, which will take place in a few days. At the time, I said there would be other countries to join this move and I can tell you these things are indeed happening.”
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The meeting is being held less than two weeks before the May 12 deadline for Trump to decide whether to re-impose sanctions against Iran that were removed as part of the deal on its nuclear program.
According to a Palestinian official, Pompeo did not seek meetings with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas or any Palestinian officials during his visit to Israel.
Nabil Shaath, an Abbas aide, told Haaretz no one in Pomeo’s bureau petitioned a meeting with the Palestinian president, and added that “even if there was such a petition, the official Palestinian stance remains unchanged, and it is not to meet
Pompeo, a former CIA director, is thought to be a key supporter of the Netanyahu government’s politics, and he holds hawkish views on Iran. His appointment was seen as a step toward a tougher American policy regarding Tehran, with U.S. President Donald Trump recently vowing to cancel the Iran nuclear deal if significant changes are not made.
Prior to landing in Israel, Pompeo met with Saudi Arabia‘s King Salman and other officials in Riyadh. Pompeo reassured the kingdom that the U.S. would abandon the nuclear deal unless there is an agreement in talks with European partners to improve it to make sure the Islamic Republic never possesses a nuclear weapons.
“Iran destabilizes this entire region,” Pompeo said in a joint press conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. “It supports proxy militias and terrorist groups. It is an arms dealer to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. It supports the murderous Assad regime (in Syria) as well.”
Pompeo also addressed the rift between some Gulf countries and Qatar: “Gulf unity is necessary and we need to achieve it.”
Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, cut off travel and trade ties with Qatar last June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and arch-rival Iran on the other side of the Gulf.
Doha has denied the accusations and has said its three fellow Gulf countries aim to curtail its sovereignty. For its part, Iran denies supporting terrorism or having sought to develop nuclear weapons.
On Friday at a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, the first stop on his trip, Pompeo repeated Trump’s pledge to withdraw from the Iran deal unless it is significantly strengthened. He said the U.S. was “unlikely” to stay in if that was not done.
“Absent a substantial fix, absent overcoming the shortcomings, the flaws of the deal, he is unlikely to stay in that deal past this May,” Pompeo said.
AP contributed to this report.
Article source: https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Palestinian-teen-shot-by-IDF-in-Gaza-protests-dies-552938
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