Top Biden Aide Planning Israel Trip as Hard-Right Coalition Takes Power

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, US, November 10, 2022. (Reuters)
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, US, November 10, 2022. (Reuters)
TT

Top Biden Aide Planning Israel Trip as Hard-Right Coalition Takes Power

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, US, November 10, 2022. (Reuters)
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, US, November 10, 2022. (Reuters)

US President Joe Biden's National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, is planning a trip to Israel this month after the formation of a new government topped by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a White House official said on Monday.

The meetings in Israel will come as Netanyahu's new alliance with ultra-nationalists has worried White House officials about the prospects for worsening Israel's relations with Palestinians.

On Monday, Israeli forces killed two Palestinian militants during clashes near the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian sources said.

Biden is also working to find common ground with the new Israeli government on an approach to stalled Iranian nuclear talks.

Biden said on Thursday that he looked forward to working with Netanyahu, who he called "my friend for decades," and committed "to support the two-state solution and to oppose policies that endanger its viability or contradict our mutual interests and values."

Dates for Sullivan's meetings have not been set yet, said the administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.



Jordan, Syria to Form Joint Committee to Secure their Border

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend a press conference as they meet in Amman, Jordan January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend a press conference as they meet in Amman, Jordan January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
TT

Jordan, Syria to Form Joint Committee to Secure their Border

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend a press conference as they meet in Amman, Jordan January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi attend a press conference as they meet in Amman, Jordan January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Alaa Al Sukhni

Jordan and Syria agreed to form a joint security committee to secure their border and combat the smuggling of arms and drugs as well as cooperating to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on Tuesday.

Safadi met in Amman on Tuesday with visiting Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, who said during a joint press conference that the latest US move to ease sanctions should be a step towards full lifting of sanctions.

Shibani said existing sanctions were a main hurdle to the recovery of Syria.

The United States on Monday issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months after the end of president Bashar al-Assad's rule to try to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance.