Pompeo Kicks Off Mideast Trip With Stop in Jerusalem

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Israel on Monday to kick off his week-long tour of the Middle East. While in Jerusalem, Pompeo is set to meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, while also filming a short message set to be aired at the Republican National Convention, with the backdrop of the Old City walls. Pompeo is expected to discuss with his Israeli counterparts the country’s recent agreement to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates, while also touching on other pressing issues such as Iranian sanctions and China’s aggression and involvement in Israeli infrastructure projects. Following his time in Israel, Pompeo will fly to the UAE, Sudan and Bahrain, part of a joint Israeli-American effort to advance similar accords between Israel and other Sunni Arab states in the region. On Monday, Moroccan Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani quelled rumors his country was on the verge of striking a deal with Israel, saying Morocco would not normalize relations with the Jewish state as long as it was “violating the rights of the Palestinian people.”