Sullivan trip starts with visit to President Herzog
Arriving in the middle of Israel’s constitutional crisis, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan began his trip Thursday morning with a visit to President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, before meeting PM Binyamin Netanyahu, his Israeli counterpart Tzachi Hanegbi, Defense Minister Yoav Galant and FM Ellie Cohen. Netanyahu will be struggling meanwhile with his reluctance to obey the High Court’s order to fire a senior cabinet member, Interior and Health Minister Aryeh Deri, over past wrongdoing. Whereas his government and the Biden administration are moving towards sync on action to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, Sullivan said ahead of his visit that he would be “clear and direct” on Washington’s opposition to policies that undermine a potential two-state Palestinian solution, which key parts the new government refuse to accept.