President Biden’s visit to the Middle East scheduled for the end of June has been postponed to July, two senior Israeli officials and a U.S. official said.
Why it matters: It will be Biden’s first trip to the region since he took office.
Leading the news: U.S. officials told Israel on Friday evening that the visit will be postponed to July due to scheduling issues and the need for more time to work on travel preparations, the two Israeli officials said. .
- A U.S. official also confirmed that the visit was postponed to July, but stressed that the reason was the president’s scheduled agenda for his trip to Europe. The U.S. official said the adjournment was unrelated to Israel’s internal political situation.
- NBC News was the first to report that Biden’s trip was postponed.
Get up to date quickly: The trip was expected to include a summit in Saudi Arabia with the leaders of nine Arab countries, as previously reported by Axios. Biden also planned to visit Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
- Biden was expected to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who the U.S. intelligence community says is responsible for the 2018 assassination of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a report that officials saudites reject.
What they are saying: Biden pointed out Friday that his trip may not take place in June.
- The president said he “has no direct plans” to go to the region at the moment, but added that there is a “possibility” that he will meet with Israeli and Arab leaders, including those in Saudi Arabia. .
Go deeper: the US is negotiating an agreement between the Saudis, the Israelis and the Egyptians