National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan arrived in Israel on Wednesday night, becoming the first Biden administration official to visit the nation since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government coalition convened late last month.
Sullivan met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem to kick off two days of meetings with senior Israeli officials, with Iran's nuclear program and threats from Tehran being the focus. Netanyahu and his predecessors have been steadfast against the nuclear deal that was reached with Iran from which the U.S. withdrew under the Trump administration.
Sullivan told a press gaggle Jan. 9 that reviving the nuclear deal is not a priority of the Biden administration, but Iran "will be a substantial topic of conversation" during his visit.
Herzog welcomed Sullivan "as a great friend of Israel and a big expert on world affairs and security and Middle Eastern affairs," according to The Jerusalem Post.
"You are coming at the right time, as we meet so many challenges together. I welcome you wholeheartedly to our country," Herzog said.
The visit takes place when there are some tensions between the Biden administration and Israel's new government, which has promised to advance the annexation of portions of the West Bank, the expansion of settlements and the legalization of Israeli outposts.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday the Biden administration is opposed to Israeli "annexation" as well as "settlement building and the legalization of outposts."
The Jerusalem Post reported Israel has delayed discussions on a Jewish housing project in east Jerusalem to avoid a conflict with the U.S. during Sullivan's visit.
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