Vance to meet Israeli defence minister, senior military officials before departure
US Vice President JD Vance will meet on Thursday with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and senior military officials at the army’s Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv, according to Katz’s office.
US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media during his meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the presidential residence in Jerusalem. AFP
The talks are expected to focus on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the implementation of the US-brokered peace deal aimed at ending more than two years of Israeli genocidal war in Gaza, which has killed and injured over 200,000 Palestinians.
The meeting, scheduled before Vance’s departure, coincides with the expected arrival of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a 48-hour visit.
Before boarding his plane, Rubio warned that Israeli plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank and the rise in settler violence could threaten the Gaza peace agreement.
Vance is among several senior US officials who have visited Israel recently to support the peace deal and urge Israel to show restraint in actions that could undermine it.
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