It seems there is a renewed US interest in the Middle East, with White House spokesman Jay Carney announcing Tuesday that PresidentBarack Obama is planning to visit Israel, the West Bank and Jordan as part of an upcoming trip, possibly as early as next month.
According to Israel's Channel 10 news, the visit to Israel is scheduled for March 20, although the White House has yet to confirm a specific date. Channel 10 also claimed that Obama will visit Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, as part of the trip.
Obama's visit to Israel will be his first since taking office, and Carney said that he is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as with Palestinian and Jordanian leaders, during the tour.
National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor told reporters that the start of Obama's second term as president and the formation of a new Israeli government offers an opportunity to reaffirm the deep and enduring bonds between the US and Israel. The trip will also be an opportunity to discuss the way forward on a broad range of issues of mutual concern, including Iran and Syria.
Despite this support, the US has been highly critical of Israel's settlement building in the West Bank, even though there is no indication that the president will capitulate on his anti-settlement views.
In addition to the announcement of Obama's trip, the new US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday stressed his commitment to promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace in separate telephone conversations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Netanyahu.
In a call to Abbas, Kerry discussed the importance of holding meetings in the near future that will allow for the continuation of the peace process, the Palestinian president's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said. As well as being very interested in the peace process, Kerry stressed that he is aware of the economic hardships facing the Palestinian people.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that in her conversation with Netanyahu, Kerry underscored his personal commitment, and that of the president's, to supporting Israel's security and to pursuing a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
The US move comes after several newspapers reported that Britain and France are planning to propose a new political initiative that will relaunch peace talks. Sources said that such an initiative would also require intervention from the US administration.
On Saturday evening, Netanyahu called on Mahmoud Abbas to return to the negotiation table. He claimed his government is committed to reaching a settlement in the ongoing conflict but he did not elaborate how. Meanwhile, Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem remains the main obstacle to resuming peace negotiations, which have been on hold since September 2010.
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