Roll out the red carpet: U. S. President Joe Biden will be greeted through a long line of people when he arrives in Israel on Wednesday afternoon, government ministers heard Monday, breaking with the classic welcome given to leaders in the past.
Ministers were informed in writing on Monday that “due to schedule pressure, COVID and warm weather, the U. S. President has been informed in writing. The U. S. will shake hands with visitors [visitors in the rite of arrival at the airport], and there will be no option for non-public photographs. “. “
Lawmakers were still invited to attend the welcome ceremony, which was scheduled for after Biden landed at Ben Gurion Airport shortly after 3 p. m.
He will be received by Prime Minister Yair Lapid and President Isaac Herzog, and Interim Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will also speak, Hebrew media reported.
Biden’s requests for an undeniable rite at the airport were first reported last month, and the media speculated it might just be an attempt to repeat an incident that occurred in May 2017, when Congressman Oren Hazan crossed the line of dignitaries. At the airport to take a selfie with then-U. S. President Donald Trump.
Hazan, who was a questionable member of then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, did not intend to be among those appointed to shake Trump’s hand, but controlled to make his way along the line.
He later posted the photo on his Facebook page with the caption: “Thank you, Mr. President, it’s a pleasure!”
The incident was condemned by other Israeli officials, calling the stunt “a genuine embarrassment. “
The summer heat: Temperatures near the airport are expected to exceed 90°F (32°C) when Biden arrives, and the leader’s age of 79 also influenced the decision.
The timeline for Biden’s next two days in Israel and the West Bank has yet to be finalized, and while it will be the lawmaker’s tenth trip to the Jewish state, the itinerary will come with a number of novelties for the American leader.
After Wednesday’s landing, Biden will make a stopover on several Israeli security formulas with Defense Secretary Benny Gantz; this occasion was originally scheduled to take place at Palmachim Air Base in central Israel, but will now also be held at Ben Gurion Airport. Israel another $500 million in replacement batteries for the formula after last year’s Gaza war.
Biden’s excursion will come with the Iron Beam laser rocket defense system, which is designed to work in tandem with systems like Iron Dome and shoot down smaller projectiles.
The president will also announce his approval for the U. S. military-industrial complex to be in the U. S. The U. S. will begin talks with its Israeli counterparts regarding the acquisition of Iron Beam, a senior U. S. official said. To The Times of Israel.
After the arms tour, Biden is expected to head to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem for a visit.
On Thursday morning, Biden will hold a meeting with Lapid, after which the two will make statements to the press. Lapid’s predecessor, Bennett, who met with Biden twice during his year as prime minister, will also be part of that meeting.
No major announcements are expected on either aspect. Biden is expected to reserve most of his comments on the Israeli-Palestinian standoff for his Friday meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Biden will then meet with Herzog, followed by a brief consultation with opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, which was added to the program last month to avoid the belief that the United States is opting sides ahead of Israel’s Nov. 1 election.
The president is expected to end the day by completing the opening rite of the Maccabiah Jewish Olympics, along with Lapid and Herzog.
On Friday morning, Biden will go to Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem, according to an Israeli source familiar with the matter. of gates the Old City.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
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