Confirmed: Pompeo to visit Israel next week

The US State Department confirmed on Friday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Israel on May 13.

According to the statement, Pompeo will meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Speaker of the Knesset Benny Gantz in Jerusalem “to discuss US and Israeli efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as regional security issues related to Iran’s malign influence.”

“The US commitment to Israel has never been stronger than under President Trump’s leadership. The United States and Israel will face threats to the security and prosperity of our peoples together. In challenging times, we stand by our friends, and our friends stand by us,” the statement added.

The confirmation follows a report by Channel 13’s Barak Ravid earlier this week stating that Pompeo would travel to Israel next week for a 24-hour visit.

This would be the first visit of a foreign official to Israel since to onset of the coronavirus crisis, and Pompeo’s first visit to a country outside the US since the crisis.

Asked about the report, Pompeo later told journalists, “I don’t have any travel to confirm, but I think in the upcoming hours and days you’ll see an announcement.”

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)