TEL AVIV, Israel ��Vice President Mike Pence headed to Israel as hope faded for a peace deal with the Palestinians, which has been a centerpiece of the Trump administration's Middle East policy.
Pence spent two days consulting with the leaders of Egypt and Jordan before plunging directly into an Israeli-Palestinian fray that has intensified since President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital last month. Palestinian Authority officials said Pence would not be welcome at their West Bank headquarters in Ramallah.
Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO's Executive Committee and a longtime spokeswoman, said no Palestinian leader would meet with Pence, even though Ramallah is just a 20-minute drive from Jerusalem.
"This U.S. administration has dealt with the Palestinians with utter disdain and has given Israel everything it wanted and more," Ashrawi said.
Pence was due to arrive in Israel late Sunday from Amman, where he met with Jordanian King Abdullah. Pence is scheduled to address Israel's parliament Monday afternoon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would talk to Pence about advancing "peace and security in the region" and about containing the nuclear threat from Iran.
"Anyone who hopes to fulfill these goals knows there's no substitute for the leadership of the U.S.," Netanyahu said at the weekly Cabinet meeting, according to an emailed statement.
Pence began his Middle East trip in Cairo after receiving assurances from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Abdullah that they would welcome Pence despite their public disapproval of the Jerusalem announcement.
In Jordan, Pence told the king the Trump administration favors a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "if the parties agree," and takes "no position" on borders or other final-status issues. Abdullah conveyed his "concerns" about Trump's Jerusalem move, saying the U.S. must now rebuild trust in the region.
The visit to Israel comes a week after P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas cursed out Trump in a Jan. 14 speech to the Palestine Liberation Organization's Central Council, saying the U.S. could no longer be a mediator between the Palestinians and Israel.
That came after PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat presented what he said was a summary of the emerging U.S. peace plan, which Palestinians felt favored Israel. U.S. officials said after Abbas' speech that the description of the peace plan was inaccurate.
����
(Talev reported from Washington.)
