Skip to main content

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to visit Israel, Jordan, Egypt

Donald Trump, Mike Pence (Facebook/Mike Pence)

United States Vice President Michael Richard "Mike" Pence, 58, is set to visit the Middle East in late January 2018. Among the countries he will visit are Israel, Jordan and Egypt.

Originally, Pence was scheduled to travel to the transcontinental region in December 2017 but it was postponed. He postponed the trip so he could preside over the vote on a tax overhaul favored by U.S. President Donald Trump.

In the original itinerary, Pence was supposed to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and Ahmed Muhammad Ahmed el-Tayeb, the current Grand Imam of al-Azhar. The meetings were cancelled after Trump announced that his administration had decided to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 6, 2017.

Pence will leave Washington, D.C. on January 19, 2018. He will arrive in Egypt the next day to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, who has agreed to meet with him despite the unpopular decision of the U.S. President.

On January 21, 2018, Pence will travel to Jordan to meet the country's King Abdullah II. The U.S. Vice President will spend the next two days in Israel and have a bilateral discussion with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently shared his thoughts on Trump's criticism of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

"UNRWA is an organization that perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem, and perpetuates also the narrative of the so-called right of return, whose goal is the elimination of Israel," The Times of Israel quoted Netanyahu as saying. "For these reasons, UNRWA should be shut down."

In addition to the bilateral discussion with Rivlin and Netanyahu, Pence is scheduled to speak at the Knesset, the unicameral national legislature of Israel. He will also go to Jerusalem to visit the Western Wall and Yad Vashem, the largest Holocaust memorial in Israel.

The goal of Pence's visit to the Middle East is to reaffirm the commitment of the U.S. to work with its allies in the region "to defeat radicalism that threatens future generations," his press secretary Alyssa Farah said in a statement obtained by the Washington Post. She told the publication that he is looking forward to meeting with the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Israel to discuss how to collaboratively fight terrorism and improve U.S. national security.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bahrain’s Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa makes successful boxing debut

Shamil Gimbatov, Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa ( Instagram/Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa ) As the founder of Bahrain-based mixed martial arts promotion Brave Combat Federation, His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, 28, leads by example. He won his boxing debut at “KHK Boxing Fight Night” by defeating his Russian opponent. Born on September 13, 1989, Al Khalifa is the son of Bahraini ruler King Hamad and  Sheikha Sheia bint Hassan Al Khrayyesh Al Ajmi . On September 23, 2016,  Al Khalifa established Brave CF, whose holding company is KHK MMA. Al Khalifa is the First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports and the Royal Guard Special Unit Commander. On April 28, 2018, he defeated Shamil Gimbatov of Russia in the 79 kg category at “KHK Boxing Fight Night.” Both Al Khalifa and Gimbatov have fought in the MMA cage as well. As an amateur MMA fighter, the Brave CF founder is undefeated. On April 14, 2016, Al Khalifa knocked out Adi...
Post a Comment
Read more

MMA community honors Brave CF founder Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa on his 30th birthday

  Eldar Eldarov, Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa (© Brave Combat Federation) The global mixed martial arts community paid tribute to Bahraini prince  Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa  on his 30th birthday on September 23, 2019. He is the founder of the Bahrain-based MMA promotion Brave Combat Federation. It all started with a dream. A vision of how his beloved sport of mixed martial arts could give more, to the athletes, to the fans and to everyone associated with it. Born on September 23, 1988 to Bahraini ruler King Hamad and Sheia bint Hassan Al Khrayyesh Al Ajmi of Kuwait, Al Khalifa has transformed into one of the iconic figures of MMA by thrusting his knowledge, passion, and resources into the sport. As a passionate sportsman, it was no surprise that Al Khalifa followed the endeavors of young  Hamza “The Pride of Bahrain” Kooheji . As the first ever Bahraini fighter, the latter became a central figure as he tore through the opposition in the local circuit, r...
Post a Comment
Read more

First Brave CF event in the Philippines may happen in 2019

Stephen Loman Brave Combat Federation has announced that projects to host events in Philippines are in progress. It was recently confirmed that the Bahrain-based global mixed martial arts promotion is working towards hosting an inaugural event in the home country of reigning Brave CF Bantamweight Champion Stephen “The Sniper” Loman, 23. “The Philippines has been a focus for Brave Combat Federation from the very beginning,” Brave CF president Mohammed Shahid stated. “From time to time, warriors from the Philippines prove that they have not only the skill to compete in the international level but also the heart that matters when it comes to combat sports.” According to Shahid, his elite team is currently on works to ensure that there will be an event hosted in the near future in Philippines. He noted that Filipino fighters “respect the sport and are model athletes with their attitude and respect towards the sport and will play a crucial role during the coming editions of B...
Post a Comment
Read more