WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Bidenās national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, is planning a trip to Israel this month after the formation of a new government topped by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a White House official said on Monday.
The meetings in Israel will come as Netanyahuās new alliance with ultra-nationalists has worried White House officials about the prospects for worsening Israelās relations with Palestinians. On Monday, Israeli forces killed two Palestinian militants during clashes near the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian sources said.
Biden is also working to find common ground with the new Israeli government on an approach to stalled Iranian nuclear talks and has been re-evaluating Washingtonās alliance with Saudi Arabia.
Biden said on Thursday that he looked forward to working with Netanyahu, who he called āmy friend for decades,ā and committed āto support the two state solution and to oppose policies that endanger its viability or contradict our mutual interests and values.ā
Dates for Sullivanās meetings have not been set yet, said the administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.