US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold his first meeting with the new Secretary of State, Yair Lapid, on Sunday.
A US official said Lapid will fly to Rome to meet Blinken, who will be in Italy as part of a trip to Europe.
The meeting follows two phone calls from top diplomats earlier this month, as Washington intensified its contacts with the new government in Israel, which was sworn in on June 13. In the first call, Blinken congratulated Lapid on forming a coalition led by Prime Minister Naftali. Bennett.
The second call was more significant, according to the State Department, in which the two discussed “opportunities and ongoing challenges for Israel and the region”.
“The secretary discussed the US commitment to Israel’s security, the importance of US-Israel bilateral relations, and the need to improve Israel-Palestinian relations in practical ways,” the statement said.
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According to a statement from Israel’s foreign ministry, “the two spoke at length about a wide range of strategic issues, including the security and political situation in the region.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and Speaker of the Opposition Yair Lapid. (AP/Collage)
Both statements said the two also discussed ways to advance Israel’s normalization with Iran and Arab countries.
Blinken and Lapid agreed to a policy of “no surprises”, according to the Israeli statement, and will maintain open and regular communication channels, as well as make plans to meet soon. Opposition Speaker Benjamin Netanyahu hit back at reports of the call, claiming that Israel’s commitment to keeping the US in the loop about military actions against Iran’s nuclear program would jeopardize the security of the Jewish state.
Like the previous government, the new government, led by Bennett and Lapid, opposes the Biden administration’s attempt to re-enter the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, Lapid – and reportedly Bennett too – has insisted that whatever disagreements he has with the US, he should address them behind closed doors rather than seek out public skirmishes like Netanyahu did during the Obama administration. are planning.
Lapid met Blinken for the first time last month, when the secretary of state was in Jerusalem as part of a recent US effort to strengthen the mediated ceasefire, which marked an 11-day war between Israel and terrorist groups in Gaza. terminated.
Also this week, Lapid is set to visit the United Arab Emirates. Israel’s new foreign minister will officially inaugurate the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate in Dubai during the visit on June 29-30. The visit will be the first time an Israeli minister has visited the Gulf state in an official capacity.
Lazar Burman contributed to this report.
