BICOM

The White House announced yesterday that President Obama will soon visit Israel for the first time during his presidency as part of a regional tour.

Although he visited Israel as a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama has yet to do so in office. However, the White House announced the visit yesterday as part of a trip which will also take in the Palestinian areas of the West Bank and Jordan. A statement said that “The start of the president’s second term and the formation of a new Israeli government offer the opportunity to reaffirm the deep and enduring bonds between the United States and Israel.” Although White House spokesman Jay Carney said that specific dates and details will be announced in due course, Israel’s Channel Ten claimed that Obama is likely to visit Israel on 20 March, making it the first foreign trip of his second presidential term.

Most media reports comment that the visit will provide the opportunity for Obama and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to improve their seemingly strained relationship, which during Obama’s first term exposed differing views on issues such as settlements and the response to Iran’s nuclear programme. The White House said that the visit will provide the chance “to discuss the way forward on a broad range of issues of mutual concern, including Iran and Syria.”

Although yesterday’s statement did not refer specifically to the Israel-Palestinian diplomatic process, it is widely thought that Obama will use the visit to try to generate progress in peace talks between the two sides. The Jerusalem Post speculates that new US Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Israel next week, indicating the importance being placed on the region by the Obama administration.