Netanyahu gets pre-election boost from visit by Pompeo
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got an invaluable election season boost yesterday when America’s top diplomat arrived with a handshake, lavish praise and a photo op.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew from Kuwait City to Jerusalem as part of a threenation Middle East tour aimed at countering Iran – and shoring up Netanyahu ahead of a tough April 9 vote. One recent poll showed Netanyahu trailing challenger Benny Gantz.
Pompeo said his first trip to Jerusalem as secretary of state had been long planned, and the US-Israeli relationship transcended national politics.
But Netanyahu is not wasting the symbolism. After showing Pompeo around Jerusalem, with visits to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall and with cameras in tow, he will head to Washington, DC at the end of the month. There, he is sure to be granted an Oval Office greeting – Israel is one of the few places in the world where being associated with US President Donald Trump is often an asset.
Pompeo said the focus of his two-day visit was to coordinate with Israel steps to take against what he called radical Islam, and especially Iran.
Later, as he received Pompeo at his office, Netanyahu was effusive in his embrace of the USIsraeli relationship, saying the alliance had never been better, and also emphasised dangers he said were posed by Iran.
One topic that does not appear at the top of Pompeo’s agenda is forging peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The Trump administration is preparing what it describes as a comprehensive plan to end the decades-old conflict.
Pompeo and the State Department, however, have been largely sidelined, with Trump handing the task to his son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, and his former attorney Jason Greenblatt. They have struggled to find support for the plan among key players in the region, including Saudi Arabia. Some regional leaders believe the plan makes too many concessions to Israel while short-changing the Palestinians.
The tortuous issue was further complicated when Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, despite Palestinian aspirations to have part of the holy city as the capital of a future independent state. The Palestinian leadership has boycotted talks with Washington since, and, in response, the administration slashed most financial aid to the Palestinians. – LA Times