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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran on Wednesday 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 provoke terror throughout the world, even during this epidemic and at a time when the Iranian people are fighting Lasted”. .
Pompeo arrived in Israel hours ago Wednesday, to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his partner in the new coalition government, Benny Gantz, in talks expected to address Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank.
I’m glad to be in Israel to coordinate with @IsraeliPM @Netanyahu and @Gantzbe in countering two critical threats: COVID-19 and Iran. Israel and the United States will face these challenges side by side. pic.twitter.com/aSrzD8MhkS
– Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) May 13, 2020
Pompeo’s plane landed in Tel Aviv early in the morning and went directly to Jerusalem, where it received a mandatory two-week stone exemption for arrivals due to a new outbreak of the Corona virus.
Pompeo is the first foreign official to visit Israel since January, before the country closed its borders to stop the spread of the epidemic.
Netanyahu and Gantz postponed the swearing in of the new Israeli government to receive the American official, who is on a one-day visit.
One of the main items on the agenda of the Pompeo talks is the issue of Israel’s 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 the allies. of Israel in the West.
Before the visit, Pompeo told the Israel Hume newspaper on Tuesday that the meeting was important enough to justify traveling to Israel for direct talks despite the epidemic, and efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, will be discussed on Trump administration plan for the Middle East and efforts to combat the virus.
Pompeo declined to say whether the administration supports the unilateral annexation of Israel’s territories in the West Bank, and said he will come to listen to the views of Netanyahu and Gantz on this issue.
For his part, the United States’ ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, the architect of the peace plan, said that Israel could begin annexing these areas in a few weeks.
Notably, Netanyahu and Gantz signed a power-sharing agreement last month after three parliamentary elections last year led to a dead end.
Under the agreement, Netanyahu will remain prime minister for the next 18 months, including during his fraud, bribery and breach of confidence trial, and after a year and a half, Gantz will be in office for 18 months.
The agreement also states that Netanyahu can present plans to annex Israeli settlements in the West Bank starting July 1, but that this step must be coordinated with the United States and also take into account regional peace and stability agreements.
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