Secretary of State Mike Pompeo departed for Israel on Tuesday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eyes annexation of parts of the West Bank and the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep the globe
The timing of Pompeo's one-day visit to Jerusalem, where he is expected to meet with Netanyahu and the Prime Minister's key ally in the incoming coalition, Benny Gantz, has raised eyebrows, with some suggesting it may be politically motivated. It comes as the Trump administration has faced criticism for what diplomats and analysts see as a dearth of US leadership in the global response to the virus.
As former US Ambassador Daniel Shapiro noted in a Haaretz opinion piece Monday, this issue"lurks heavily in the background" of the top US diplomat's trip."Pompeo, unlike most Secretaries of State, has not eschewed domestic politics in the service of his boss," Shapiro wrote, referencing Pompeo's recent public admonishments of China over its lack of transparency on the coronavirus.
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