Pence plans to visit Israel, Bahrain in tour starting January 6 — report

US Vice President Mike Pence will depart January 6 for a week-long tour to Israel, Bahrain and Poland — a week earlier than previously reported — the Politico website reports.

The report cites three US officials familiar with the planning as well as a US government document. It says the planning is tentative and that more stops could be added. It doesn’t detail the order in which Pence will visit the countries.

US Vice President Mike Pence delivers a speech at Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial center in Jerusalem on January 23, 2020, to mark 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool/AFP)

Pence will depart immediately after overseeing a Congress session in which President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the November 3 elections will be reaffirmed, the report says.

Army Radio reported Sunday that Pence is planning to come to Israel on January 13, adding that more Arab or Muslim countries could announce they are normalizing their ties with the Jewish state during the visit.

Pence was last in Israel in January 2020 for the World Holocaust Forum at Yad Vashem, where visiting dignitaries gathered to commemorate the Nazi genocide of Jews during World War II and mark 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz.