Netanyahu to Discuss Iran, Defensive Alliance, Jordan Valley With Pompeo in Lisbon
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with his Portuguese counterpart, Antonio Costa, and with US State Secretary Mike Pompeo from December 4-5 to discuss Iran, the Israel-US defensive alliance and Jordan Valley, Netanyahu said on Wednesday
"I am going to Lisbon to meet with the Portuguese prime minister, but the main purpose of my trip is to meet with Mike Pompeo. Recently, I talked with [US] President Trump. First of all, the discussion was about Iran. The same conversation will be held with Pompeo. It will focus on Iran and two other issues: the defensive alliance with the US, which I intend to promote, and the future American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley.
These are very important issues, and I'm working on them all the time," Netanyahu told reporters at Ben Gurion Airport before leaving for Lisbon.
On Sunday, Netanyahu spoke with Trump over the phone and discussed Iran and other bilateral issues.
On November 18, Pompeo said that the United States no longer considered the Israeli settlements being built on Palestinian territory to be illegal, a statement that went against decades of US policy and international understanding on the matter.
Over the past two years, the US has made a number of gestures toward Israel that previous presidents refused to make, including recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the annexed Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli territory.