President Shimon Peres will meet with President Barack Obama this Monday while in Washington to attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, the Israeli Embassy announced today. Peres will be the first Israeli leader to be hosted by the new president, after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu pushed back his inaugural visit to Washington until mid-May. The Prime Minister’s Office, which is coordinating the trip with Peres, has said Netanyahu needs more time to complete a policy review before traveling to the US.
The president’s visit will come on the heels of Obama’s reception of King Abdullah of Jordan last week and amid outstanding White House invitations to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Peres will address the AIPAC gathering during his stay, after which he will travel to New York and is likely to meet with Jewish groups there.
{JPost/Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}
