Next month’s visit of US President Barack Obama in Israel will focus on Iran's nuclear program, Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday during a cabinet meeting.
He said he had agreed with Obama on the issues to be discussed.
The White House gave no exact dates for the trip, Obama's first to Israel since his reelection for a second mandate, but press sources said the visit to Israel would start on March 20. The president is also expected to visit the Palestinian Authority and Jordan.
"It is a very important visit that will emphasize the strong alliance between Israel and the United States. I think its importance is even more prominent in light of the great revolutions and upsets surroundings us in the Middle East, Atlantic Ocean, North Africa and Iran, » Netanyahu said Sunday.
In public remarks at the cabinet session, Netanyahu said : "The president and I spoke about this visit and agreed that we would discuss three main issues Iran's attempt to arm itself with nuclear weapons, the unstable situation in Syria and the efforts to advance the diplomatic process of peace between the Palestinians and us. »
The visit will take place after Netanyahu puts together a new governing coalition following the January 22 Israeli election.
Netanyahu, who heads the Likud party, which won the election, has begun talks with prospective political partners and still has up to five weeks to complete the process.
Obama visited Israel as a presidential candidate in 2008 but drew Republican criticism for not travelling there in his first term. His Republican predecessor, former President George W. Bush, also waited until his second term to go to Israel.
Obama will stay for two days in Jerusalem. He is slated to meet with various Israeli leaders and tour the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum and Mount Herzl.
Incoming Knesset Speaker Benjamin Ben-Eliezer and his predecessor have called on the US president to address the Israeli parliament. It remains unclear where Obama will give his speech.
He is also slated to visit the West Bank where he will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and possibly Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.