Sullivan meets with Isaac Herzog
2 Min Read
Herzog's meeting with Sullivan comes following a fascinating downturn in the US-Israeli relationship
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The National Security Advisor also plans on meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Following his arrival to the occupied territories on Tuesday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Israeli president Isaac Herzog.
"I expressed my deep appreciation for President Joe Biden's close friendship with Israel and thanked his administration for maintaining and reinforcing our nations' strong and meaningful ties," Herzog tweeted.
The meeting seemingly centered on the ongoing Vienna talks and the rapid scientific progress Iran has been showcasing with its nuclear program, as Herzog further expressed his concerns with "Iran's progress toward nuclear weapons parallel to the negotiations in Vienna".
He further reiterated the same paranoid Israeli rhetoric that has been plaguing Israeli media for the past few weeks since the beginning of the Vienna talks, claiming the "need to stop Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, at all cost," in reference to threatened military action.
The National Security Advisor also plans on meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on the West Bank to discuss "strengthening US relations with the Palestinians," according to a senior Biden official.
Herzog's meeting with Sullivan comes following a fascinating downturn in the US-Israeli relationship as media reports revealed that US President Joe Biden has been refusing to take calls from Israeli PM Naftali Bennett for several weeks, despite the latter going out of his way to reach him.
It seems the endless public threats made by Israeli officials regarding targeting Iran even if diplomatic efforts, led partially by the US, prevail in reviving the JCPOA has soured the relationship and Biden is becoming keener on distancing himself from the furtherly turbulent and unstable Israeli leadership.
In that vein, is Sullivan's visit a reassurance of their relationship's steadfastness or is it simply putting it on ice?
