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Source: Arabic.net, agencies
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of using its resources to “spread terror” at a time when its people are suffering from a devastating economic and health crisis.
Pompeo said, before his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem: “The Iranians are using the resources of the Ayatollah regime to create terror around the world, even during this epidemic and at a time when the Iranian people are fighting hard. ” “This tells us a lot about who is leading this country,” he added.
Pompeo previously came to Israel on a blitz to speak with Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition partner Benny Gantz about Iran and a plan to annex parts of the West Bank by Israel.
A spokesman for the United States embassy said that in a “preventive” measure, Pompeo will not meet with the US ambassador, David Friedman, who suffers from “respiratory symptoms”, despite tests showing that he is not infected with the emerging coronavirus.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
One of the main items on the agenda of Pompeo’s talks with Netanyahu and Gantz is Israel’s declared intention to annex parts of the West Bank, a move that is sure to anger the Palestinians and most Arab countries, as well as many of Israel’s allies in the West.
Pompeo wrote on Twitter after his arrival that the most important issues to be addressed in the talks are the Corunna virus pandemic and tension in the region with Iran.
“We hope (also) that we can convince Palestinian leaders that they have to engage with the Israelis on the basis of the vision of peace (launched by President Donald Trump),” Pompeo said in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Hume.
Pompeo declined to say whether the administration supports unilateral annexation of Israel in areas of the West Bank, and said he will come to listen to Netanyahu and Gantz’s views on this issue.
The U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, architect of the Trump administration plan, said Israel could begin annexing these areas in a matter of weeks.
Netanyahu plans to take the oath and his new coalition government on Thursday. The government’s agenda includes the possibility of declaring sovereignty over the Jewish settlements and the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, which means annexing these lands to Israel.
The U.S.-backed peace talks collapsed in 2014.
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