Biden accepted Prime Minister Naftali Bennet’s invitation to visit Israel on April 24.
US President Joe Biden is considering a visit to Al Makassed Hospital, the largest Palestinian medical center in east Jerusalem, an Israeli source said on Monday. The visit, during Biden’s trip to Israel planned for next month, would be in the framework of an American initiative regarding the hospital.
Biden would visit the hospital unaccompanied by Israeli officials, which would be viewed as not recognizing Israeli sovereignty over that part of the capital.
No previous US presidents have made similar visits. Biden’s plan to visit east Jerusalem, in general, was first reported by Kan.
Though the Biden administration has sought to strengthen the current Israeli coalition government, the visit signifying a divided Jerusalem would likely spark disputes within the coalition.
The visit would be in the framework of an American initiative regarding the hospital, which could mean renewed funding after the Trump administration cut $25 million to the East Jerusalem Hospitals Network, of which Al Makassed is a member.
Biden’s trip to Israel has not yet been finalized, but is expected to be scheduled around the G7, which is on June 26-28.
Then Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday in response to a query whether Biden’s visit to Israel would occur on the tail end of his June visit to Europe, that while the president was “looking forward to coming, but we haven’t quite locked in the date yet.”
Ahead of the visit, The White House denounced Bennett’s approval and advancement of 3,988 Israeli homes in Judea and Samaria. According to N12, the White House conditioned Biden’s trip on the issue.
“Israel’s program of expanding settlements deeply damages the prospect for a two-state solution,” Deputy State Department spokesperson Jalina Porter told reporters on Friday.
Biden’s consideration of a visit to east Jerusalem comes as tensions spike over issues of sovereignty over the territory. On Sunday a Palestinian Authority spokesperson said that the “State of Palestine” had rights to east Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.
The US president is also set to meet Jordan’s King Abdullah later this week, Reuters reported.
As reported by The Jerusalem Post