US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet Israel’s new Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in Italy at the weekend, a senior State Department official and Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday.
The meeting will take place on Sunday in Rome, officials said, but neither side has provided any details about the agenda, which is likely to focus on Israel's concerns about a possible US return to the Iran nuclear deal and Israeli security more broadly.
It will be their first meeting since Mr Lapid assumed his position, which occurred after long-time Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu left office.
The discussion comes as Israel’s new government, led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, seeks to mend relations with US President Joe Biden’s administration.
The leaders have inherited a relationship at once imperilled by increasingly partisan domestic political considerations and deeply bound in history – with both sides recognising that they need each other.
Mr Bennett’s government says it wants to repair relations with Democrats and restore bipartisan support in the US for Israel that former president Donald Trump attempted to turn into a Republican monopoly.
Mr Biden, meanwhile, is trying to pursue a more balanced approach to the Palestinian conflict and to Iran by restoring ties with the Palestinians and entering into indirect negotiations with Tehran on the nuclear agreement, from which Mr Trump withdrew in 2018.
The relationship is critical to both countries. Israel has long regarded the US as its closest ally and guarantor of its security and international standing while the US counts on Israel’s military and intelligence prowess in a turbulent Middle East.
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Scoreline
Liverpool 4
Oxlade-Chamberlain 9', Firmino 59', Mane 61', Salah 68'
Manchester City 3
Sane 40', Bernardo Silva 84', Gundogan 90' 1
Match info:
Leicester City 1
Ghezzal (63')
Liverpool 2
Mane (10'), Firmino (45')
The biog
Age: 35
Inspiration: Wife and kids
Favourite book: Changes all the time but my new favourite is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Best Travel Destination: Bora Bora , French Polynesia
Favourite run: Jabel Hafeet, I also enjoy running the 30km loop in Al Wathba cycling track
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
