U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wears a red, white and blue face mask as he arrives in Israel for a one-day visit, Wednesday, May 13.




Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank in Jerusalem Wednesday, as Israeli troops fatally shot a Palestinian teenager after clashes erupted in southern West Bank.

The two leaders did not mention Wednesday’s violence, a continuation of clashes from the previous day that claimed the life of an Israeli soldier.

Pompeo, wearing a red, white and blue face mask, arrived in Tel Aviv and went directly to Jerusalem, bypassing Israel’s two-week coronavirus quarantine requirement for new arrivals.

As he stood next to Netanyahu without wearing a mask, Pompeo, the first official to visit Israel since January due to the pandemic, said his visit was a “testament to our alliance.”

Pompeo also met with Netanyahu’s new coalition partner, Benny Gantz, and the new government’s incoming foreign minister, Gabi Ashkenazi at the U.S. Chief of Mission Residence in Jerusalem before departing to the airport.

Netanyahu and Gantz reached an agreement last month after three parliamentary elections over the past year resulted in deadlock. The pact allows Netanyahu to remain prime minister for 18 months, after which Gantz would also serve as prime minister for 18 months.

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