Biden and Lapid are expected to sign a joint declaration emphasizing US-Israeli military cooperation, as well as their commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. They also plan to launch a strategic initiative on high-tech collaboration.
In addition, the two leaders plan to hold a joint news conference and host a virtual summit with India and the United Arab Emirates, a collection of countries known as I2U2. A senior U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly before the meeting said the United Arab Emirates would help fund a $ 2 billion project that supports agriculture in India.
Lapid, 58, is a former journalist and television anchor who entered politics just a decade ago. He served as finance minister under Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, before becoming the leader of the opposition and forming a diverse eight-party coalition that would close Netanyahu’s government.
Naftali Bennett became Prime Minister, with Lapid as Foreign Minister. But the coalition collapsed after months of strife, and Bennett agreed to stop Lapid until the election.
Lapid worked hard to bolster his credentials as a statesman during his tenure as foreign minister. His aides believe that the private face time, public appearances and demonstrations of friendship with Biden – who, at 79, is making his 10th trip to Israel – reinforce this image and make voters more comfortable with the idea of Lapid as their leader.
However, Netanyahu is running for prime minister again, and polls suggest his Conservative Likud party will win the most seats in the next election, well ahead of Lapid’s centralist Yesh Atid party.
No party is prepared to fill the majority of the seats needed to form a government, and it is unclear whether either man will form a governing coalition with smaller parties.
Biden played down the political uncertainty in an interview with Israeli Channel 12, which aired on Wednesday.
“We are committed to the state, not an individual leader,” he said.
Biden is expected to meet only briefly with Netanyahu, with whom he has had a rocky relationship in the past. In particular, when Netanyahu was prime minister, his government approved a massive settlement project in East Jerusalem, while Biden visited the country in 2010. Biden, then vice president, was angry.
Much like Lapid, Biden also faces a political threat from his predecessor. Donald Trump, an ally of Netanyahu, who despite his attempts to bypass the last election, still enjoys strong support from Republican voters, could run for a further term.
Asked by Channel 12 if he expected a rematch, Biden replied: “I did not predict, but I would not be disappointed.”
Because of the status of the United States as Israel’s closest and most important ally, Biden is at the center of the country’s attention during his visit.
Israel staged a balanced welcoming ceremony for him at Tel Aviv airport, including a red carpet and a band playing the national anthem of both countries. Large TV channels have set up a special live coverage of Biden’s arrival, and even broadcast a nonstop loop of his motorcade traveling on the highway to Jerusalem.
Biden can also expect to meet many politicians who would like to have their picture taken with him, or perhaps share an ear about his administration’s attempt to rejuvenate the Iran nuclear deal.
Israel was opposed to the original nuclear deal reached under President Barack Obama in 2015, as its restrictions on Iran’s nuclear enrichment expired and the agreement did not address Iran’s ballistic missile program or military activities in the region.
Instead of the United States re-entering the deal, from which Trump withdrew in 2018, Israel would have preferred strict sanctions in the hope of leading to a more addictive agreement.
Biden will also receive the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Honor, from Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday.
He is also scheduled to meet with U.S. athletes participating in the Maccabiah Games. Also known as the “Jewish Olympics”, it is the largest sporting event in the country that is held every four years for Israeli and Jewish athletes from all over the world.
