Wednesday, Feb 06, 2013
(From THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 2/6/2013)
By Adam Entous and Colleen McCain Nelson in Washington and Joshua Mitnick in Tel Aviv
President Barack Obama plans to visit to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan in the spring, stepping into some of the thorniest foreign-policy challenges facing his second term -- Iran's nuclear program, unrest in Syria and long-stalled peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
The trip would be Mr. Obama's first visit to Israel as president. He visited the country briefly in 2008 during his first presidential campaign.
U.S. and Israeli officials said the trip would take place after the formation of a new Israeli government, a process that could take weeks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after winning a Jan. 22 parliamentary election, this week began formal negotiations with prospective coalition partners.
U.S. officials said exact dates for the visit have yet to be set. Israeli media reported Mr. Obama would arrive March 20.
The visit will test the sometimes-strained relationship between Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu over issues including U.S. calls to freeze Jewish settlement building in the West Bank and Mr. Netanyahu's wish for the U.S. to take a harder line against Iran's nuclear program.
On Syria, Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu are more in sync. Both have focused on the threat posed by Bashar al-Assad's stockpiles of chemical weapons.
Mr. Obama's decision to skip over Israel during previous trips frustrated Israeli officials and the public. "If you look back at the ups and downs of President Obama's popularity among Israelis, an earlier visit would have been better," said Zalman Shoval, a former ambassador to the U.S. from Mr. Netanyahu's Likud Party. "Better late than never."
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
06-02-13 0346GMT
