US Secretary of State broke travel protocol for the second time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and flew to Israel for a short trip. Pompeo is on a one-day visit to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former rival Benny Gantz who is now part of Israel's new unity government that will be formed. Formation of the new government was postponed for a day in order to accommodate Pompeo’s visit.
Pompeo’s team was also exempted from the 14-day quarantine rule followed by all foreign visitors to Israel, in wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Prior to this, Pompeo had made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan.
At a joint press conference with Netanyahu, Pompeo said that Israel is a transparent partner in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, unlike other countries, in a barely-veiled reference to China. He also added that possible joint efforts by the US and Israel and “Israeli technology and Israeli medical expertise” will save lives.
Washington has also warned Israel that the nation has not done enough to inspect security aspects in China’s investment in Israel’s technology and infrastructure sectors.
Netanyahu was quoted as saying in The Jerusalem Post, “The most important thing is generating that information and then sharing the information.”
Pompeo and Netanyahu also discussed Iran and Israel's possible annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank—a move expected to enrage the Palestinians and draw criticism from many of Israel’s western allies.
As per the agreement of the coalition, the Israeli government can, from July 1, begin to consider implementing the occupied West Bank annexations detailed in US President Donald Trump's Middle East plan.
Palestinian leaders rejected the US initiative, accusing the Trump administration of being pro-Israel bias. The Palestinians were not even invited to part of the while the peace plan when it was proposed by Trump in January this year
Their chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said Pompeo's team had not reached out ahead of the visit.
While discussing Iran, Pompeo said, that the US will continue its “maximum pressure” sanctions regime.
“The campaign we have been a part of to reduce the resources (that grand) Ayatollah (Ali Khamenei) has to inflict harm here in Israel and all across the world has borne fruit, has been successful, and we’re going to stay at it,” he added.
The United Arab Emirates, earlier in the week expressed "deep concern" over the annexation of regions in the West Bank, while the Arab League has said that the annexation would be a "war crime."
Israel has controlled the West Bank since seizing it in the Six-Day War of 1967.
Nearly three million Palestinians live there alongside more than 400,000 Israelis residing in settlements that are considered illegal under international law.
