Opinion: What Pompeo’s High-speed Mid-pandemic Trip to Israel Is Really About
His own State Department remains on lockdown, with most employees working from their homes. The entire world is subject to a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” warning. White House officials who have attended West Wing meetings with him have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days.
Yet with all that, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will touch down in Israel for a brief visit on Wednesday, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Speaker of Knesset Benny Gantz just before they swear in the new Israeli government. Many Israelis are asking: Why?
In principle, visits of senior U.S. officials to Israel are always in order. The two close allies have so many common interests and so much business to conduct that there is generally no requirement for a specific agenda.
