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Israeli Reports: Bennett to Visit Washington Next Month

Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. (AFP)
Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. (AFP)
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Israeli Reports: Bennett to Visit Washington Next Month

Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. (AFP)
Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. (AFP)

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is set to visit Washington next month, according to several Israeli news reports.

The PM will travel to the United States in mid-August for a meeting with US President Joe Biden, The Jerusalem Post said quoting Channel 12 news.

“Bennett will speak to US President Joe Biden on issues pertaining to Iran, more specifically on Ebrahim Raisi,” who will take office in early August, it said.

A diplomatic source with knowledge of the matter told The Times of Israel that Bennett is considering holding the trip on a weekend to avoid missing crucial parliamentary votes back at home while he’s unable to attend.

The trip would be the first meeting between Bennett and Biden and the premier’s first public international trip since taking office last month, it added.

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Afghans Arrive in the Philippines to Complete Visa Processing for Resettlement in US

This handout photo taken on January 6, 2025 and received from the US embassy in Manila shows Afghans, whose US Special Immigrant Visa will be processed, arriving at an airport terminal on the Philippines' Luzon island. (AFP)
This handout photo taken on January 6, 2025 and received from the US embassy in Manila shows Afghans, whose US Special Immigrant Visa will be processed, arriving at an airport terminal on the Philippines' Luzon island. (AFP)
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Afghans Arrive in the Philippines to Complete Visa Processing for Resettlement in US

This handout photo taken on January 6, 2025 and received from the US embassy in Manila shows Afghans, whose US Special Immigrant Visa will be processed, arriving at an airport terminal on the Philippines' Luzon island. (AFP)
This handout photo taken on January 6, 2025 and received from the US embassy in Manila shows Afghans, whose US Special Immigrant Visa will be processed, arriving at an airport terminal on the Philippines' Luzon island. (AFP)

A group of Afghan nationals arrived in the Philippines ⁠on Monday to process special immigrant visas for their resettlement in the United States, as part of an agreement between Manila and Washington.
The Philippines agreed last July to temporarily host a US immigrant visa processing center for a limited number of Afghan nationals aspiring to resettle in America.
Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Teresita Daza said the Afghan nationals who landed in the Philippines on Monday were provided entry visas. She said they had completed extensive security vetting and undergone full medical screenings prior to their arrival, The Associated Press said.
The US government will cover the costs for the Afghan nationals' stay in the Philippines, including their food, housing, security, medical and transportation expenses, she said.
She didn't specify how many Afghans arrived or how long the visa processing will take. Under the Philippines' rules, visa applicants can stay for no longer than 59 days.
A senior Philippine official told The Associated Press last year that only 150 to 300 applicants would be accommodated in the Philippines under the “one-time” deal. The official who had knowledge of the negotiations agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to speak publicly.
The Afghan nationals seeking resettlement primarily worked for the US government in Afghanistan or were deemed eligible for US special immigrant visas but were left behind when Washington withdrew from the country and Taliban militants took back power in a chaotic period in 2021.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken first relayed the request to his Philippines counterpart in 2022, and President Joe Biden discussed the request with Philippines leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. when he visited the US last year, Philippine officials said.
Marcos has rekindled relations with the US since winning the presidency by a landslide margin two years ago. In February last year, he allowed an expansion of the American military presence under a 2014 defense agreement in a decision that upset China.