Top White House aide to visit Israel despite flagging ties
Philip Gordon, known for critical statements, will meet with senior officials in Jerusalem, Ramallah
Tamar Pileggi is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
Amid soaring tensions between Jerusalem and Washington, a top adviser to the Obama Administration will reportedly visit Israel this month to meet with top Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Philip Gordon, a special assistant to US President Barack Obama and the White House coordinator for the Middle East, is expected to arrive in Israel February 15, according to a report by i24news Tuesday.
The focal point of Gordon’s visit will likely be the ongoing nuclear talks between Tehran and world powers ahead of its March deadline for a draft agreement, as well as a recent Palestinian diplomatic effort to join the International Criminal Court.
In recent months, Israeli-US ties have become increasingly strained over US policy on Iran and the breakdown of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks last year.
Gordon, who is a staunch supporter of the nuclear negotiations with Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, has worked closely on both diplomatic initiatives.
Gordon’s planned visit to the region comes just two weeks before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled address to Congress on the dangers of a nuclear Iran, a move that sparked angry backlash by US officials and led to the latest falling out between Obama and the Israeli leader.
After the Israel-Palestinian negotiations collapsed last summer, Gordon harshly criticized Israeli policies and indicated that the government was not committed to peace.
Gordon said that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank dehumanized Palestinians, and warned it would ultimately lead to regional instability.
“How will Israel remain democratic and Jewish if it attempts to govern the millions of Palestinian Arabs who live in the West Bank? How will it have peace if it’s unwilling to delineate a border, end the occupation and allow for Palestinian sovereignty, security and dignity?” Gordon said during Haaretz’s July Israel Conference on Peace.
The deputy spokesperson for the White House National Security Council confirmed the trip, and said that Gordon would deliver a speech at the Institute for National Security Studies’ annual conference in Tel Aviv, according to the i24news report.
