Pence sets out on Mideast trip despite threat of government shutdown

Spokeswoman for US vice president says meetings with Israeli, Egyptian and Jordanian leaders are ‘integral’ to American security

WASHINGTON — US Vice President Mike Pence will still head to the Middle East late Friday for a high-stakes trip, despite the threat of a federal government shutdown looming over Washington, his spokeswoman said.

“The vice president’s meetings with the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Israel are integral to America’s national security and diplomatic objectives,” his press secretary Alyssa Farah told AFP.

“The vice president will travel to the Middle East as scheduled.”

A US official said the decision would not be changed no matter what happens Friday on Capitol Hill, where Republicans and Democrats must reach a deal before midnight to avoid a partial shutdown of federal government services.

US President Donald Trump holds up a signed memorandum after he delivered a statement on Jerusalem from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, DC on December 6, 2017 as US Vice President Mike Pence looks on. (Saul Loeb/AFP)

Initially set for late December, Pence’s trip was pushed back as the region reeled from protests triggered by US President Donald Trump’s decision to declare Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, although the White House said the US vice president’s presence was needed for a tax reform push.

Another source of tension is the US decision this week to freeze tens of millions of dollars meant for the United Nations agency for Palestinians over the Palestinians’ refusal to engage in US-brokered peace talks following Trump’s declaration

Pence will arrive in Cairo on January 20 for a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, heading the following day to Amman for a one-on-one with King Abdullah II.

His trip will conclude on January 22-23 with a two-day visit to Israel, where he will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin, deliver a speech to the Knesset, visit the Western Wall and the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

Pence will not travel to Ramallah or meet with officials from the PA, which last month said it would not meet with senior US officials regarding the peace process.