BICOM

US Vice President Mike Pence arrived in Israel last night for a two-day visit, after spending the weekend in Egypt and Jordan, meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fatteh al-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Pence told reporters after his meeting with King Abdullah II that they had “agreed to disagree” on America’s “historic decision” to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The meeting in Amman followed increased tension between the two allies after US President Donald Trump’s Jerusalem announcement last month and his decision last week to withhold aid to the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees.

Pence also said that Trump had made clear that the US continues “to respect Jordan’s role as the custodian of holy sites… we take no position on boundaries and final status — those are subject to negotiation — and as I’ve made clear and the President made clear to the world: the United States of America remains committed if the parties agree to a two-state solution”.

Pence delivered a similar message in Cairo, telling Egypt’s President that the US would support a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians if the two sides agreed to it.

The Vice President said he and King Abdullah II agreed on the need for Israelis and Palestinians to restart peace talks. According to Bloomberg, Pence asked both Jordan and Egypt to reach out to the Palestinians on behalf of the administration.

Pence arrived in Israel on Sunday evening. He was welcomed at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion airport by Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, Israel’s Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. Last night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “This evening a great friend of the State of Israel will arrive in Israel, a true friend, US Vice President Mike Pence. We will welcome him. I am very much looking forward to our discussions. We will discuss the efforts of the Trump administration to block Iran’s aggression and the Iranian nuclear programme, and of course, advancing security and peace in the region. Whoever truly aspires to realise these goals knows that there is no substitute for US leadership.”

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an adviser to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, said “the US is no longer acceptable as a mediator”.

This morning, Netanyahu welcomed Pence to his office in Jerusalem, where the Vice President reviewed an Israeli honour guard. Following his meeting with Netanyahu, Pence will deliver a speech on US-Israel relations at the Knesset. Haaretz has reported that Pence told Netanyahu it was a “great honour” to be in “Israel’s capital, Jerusalem” and that he is hopeful “we are at the dawn of a new era” of renewed efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace.