President Reuven Rivlin is making his final foreign trip as the head of state, taking off late Saturday for a three-day visit in to the U.S. which he is scheduled to meet President Joe Biden as well as members of Congress and senior United Nations officials.
"I am departing for the last time as president and on behalf of the State of Israel on a farewell visit to Israel's closest ally and friend in the world - the United States of America," Rivlin said ahead of his flight.
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President Reuven Rivlin meeting with then-U.S. vice president Joe Biden in Jerusalem in 2016
(Photo: Gil Yohanan)
"On my visit I will meet President Joe Biden, a true friend of the State of Israel for many years and I will thank him for his genuine concern for Israel's security and its citizens. I will also hold meetings at the UN to discuss regional issues on our agenda and meet the American Jewish community which is so dear to our hearts," he said.
Rivlin landed in New York on Sunday morning. In the evening he was to meet with leaders of major Jewish organizations in Manhattan as well as Israel's Ambassador to the United States and the UN Gilad Erdan.
He was to travel to Washington on Monday morning for talks with Biden in the Oval Office, before a meeting with Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and congressional leaders from both parties.
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President Reuven Rivlin during a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Jerusalem
(Photo: Facebook)
He was also to meet with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and several foreign ambassadors before returning to Israel on Tuesday evening.
Ahead of his trip, Reuven Rivlin met with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, coordinating his message to Washington with the leaders of the new government.
Rivlin ends his term next month and will be succeeded by former Labor Party leader and Jewish Agency chair Isaac Herzog.
Republished with permission from i24NEWS