President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that he will not be visiting Israel during his upcoming trip to the Middle East.
“We’re not planning on stopping in Israel. We will be doing it at some point, but not [on] this trip,” Trump told members of the press during a ceremony in the Oval Office for Steve Witkoff, who was officially sworn in as Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East.
The itinerary for Trump’s upcoming journey includes a Monday departure for Saudi Arabia, followed by stops in both Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. He is scheduled to return to the U.S. on Friday, May 16.
Earlier in the day, Axios reported that Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter had recently suggested to the White House that Trump consider making a brief visit to Israel as part of his travel plans.
While meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office earlier Tuesday, Trump hinted at a major update he plans to share soon, though he withheld details about the nature of the announcement.
Trump described it as “a very, very, very big announcement to make… like as big as it gets… it’s really positive” and said it could come on Thursday, Friday, or Monday.
In a separate development, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated on Tuesday, “An important announcement regarding the entry of aid to Gaza will be issued in the next few days, and there is very good news.”
According to a source, the upcoming announcement will involve the creation of a new international foundation aimed at overseeing the renewed flow of aid into Gaza. However, the source added that key aspects of the plan are still under discussion and not yet finalized.
{Matzav.com}