Obama planning first visit to Israel as president: White House
In this handout photo from the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO), U.S. President Barack Obama (R) talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on March 5, 2012 in Washington, DC. The two leaders discussed peace in the Middle East and Israel’s growing concerns with Iran producing nuclear weapons.
US President Barack Obama is planning his first presidential visit to Israel, the White House said on Tuesday.
Obama discussed the trip in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Jan. 28, said the Associated Press.
A White House official said the "start of the president's second term and the formation of a new Israeli government offer the opportunity to reaffirm the deep and enduring bonds between the United States and Israel and to discuss the way forward on a broad range of issues of mutual concern, including Iran and Syria," according to Reuters.
Obama's last visit to Israel was in 2008 when he was running for his first term as president. The AP said that no date had yet been released for the upcoming trip.