Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for Portugal on Wednesday, where he is scheduled to meet with U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on his way back from a NATO summit.
The two are expected to discuss Iran and U.S recognition of Israel’s annexation of the Jordan Valley, according to Israeli media reports.
According to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu was making a one-day political visit to Lisbon and would return to Israel on Thursday.
The U.S State Department had confirmed on Tuesday that Pompeo and Netanyahu would be meeting in the Portuguese capital.
It’s the first meeting between the two since the U.S said it no longer considers Israeli settlements in violation of international law.
Haaretz newspaper reported that Netanyahu had reportedly been considering making a trip to London to meet with Pompeo on the sidelines of the NATO summit, but the trip was cancelled due to logistical problems.
The Israeli leader is making the trip abroad as the country’s lawmakers have one week left to avert a third round of elections being called within a year.
Attempts to form a unity government between Netanyahu’s Likud party and its main rival, the Blue and White party, have faltered, making elections increasingly likely.
The prime minister is also facing legal trouble at home, after Israel’s attorney general announced that he would be charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases.
Netanyahu will also meet Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa.
