Rivlin heads to White House for Obama talks, Hanukkah party
Israeli president says he will discuss regional instability, security situation in Israel with his US counterpart
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
President Reuven Rivlin headed to the White House on Wednesday for talks with US President Barack Obama and a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony.
Rivlin said he would discuss the security situation in Israel and across the Middle East with his counterpart, in their first meeting since Rivlin became president in July 2014.
“I am leaving now on a visit the United States, the focal point of which will be a meeting with the president. I have always celebrated Hanukkah together with my family and grandchildren, but if I must be away, I am pleased that it will be in the USA, alongside our strongest and closest ally,” Rivlin said before departing Israel on Tuesday morning.
The friendship between Israel and the United States, Rivlin said, is an expression of “a deep bond.”
“It is the bond between two countries, and between two peoples, and I intend to express to the president, in the name of all the people, Israel’s appreciation for the uncompromising support of the United States, in each moment, and in every situation,” he said.
“These are days of great regional instability, and a far from simple security situation in Israel. It is my intention to discuss these challenges with President Obama,” he added.
Rivlin is also expected to meet with senior US administration officials and to deliver an address at the Brookings Institute.
He will take part in another Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony with UN ambassadors before returning to Israel.
The Times of Israel Community.