'Pompeo to visit Israel, UAE this week to discuss normalisation deal'

Also on Pompeo’s agenda are security challenges posed by Iran and China in the region, says source

JERUSALEM:

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Israel on Monday and travel on to the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday to discuss the countries’ normalisation deal, a person briefed on his itinerary said.

Also on Pompeo’s agenda are security challenges posed by Iran and China in the region, said the source, who declined to be identified by name or nationality.

Last week, Israel and the UAE had reached a historic deal that would lead to a full normalisation of diplomatic relations between the two Middle Eastern nations in an agreement that US President Donald Trump helped broker.

Under the agreement, Israel has agreed to suspend applying sovereignty to areas of the West Bank that it has been discussing annexing, senior White House officials told Reuters.

The deal also firms up opposition to regional power Iran, which the UAE, Israel and the United States view as the main threat in the conflict-riven Middle East.