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Israeli DM Lieberman embarks on first official U.S. visit amid aid package talks

Xinhua, June 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

Israel's recently-appointed Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman will start on Sunday an official visit to the United States, his first overseas trip in his new post.

Lieberman, who joined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government last month as the latter set out to increase his ruling coalition's majority in the Israeli parliament, will have introductory meetings during his visit, according to a statement from his office.

The Israeli defense minister, known for his hawkish views and militant statements, is planned to meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter during his visit.

He will also meet with members of the U.S. Senate Committees and take part in the inauguration of the F-35 fighter jets at the Lockheed Martin's factory in Texas.

The visit takes place amid ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Israel regarding a 10-year aid package, estimated to be worth around 30 billion U.S. dollars. An Israeli defense official told Xinhua that "there are still gaps" between the two sides.

Israel and the U.S. cooperate closely on security affairs. However, diplomatic ties between the two countries have dwindled in the past several years, as animosity built up between Obama and Netanyahu, specifically over their disagreement on how to approach Iran's potential to reach nuclear capabilities.

After months of negotiations between the parties, Netanyahu told members of his cabinet in February that if the aid package won't address Israel's security needs as "he sees fit," Israel would wait for the next president to take office.

In March, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden urged Netanyahu during a trip to Jerusalem to sign the deal while U.S. President Barack Obama is still in office.

Netanyahu tried to downplay the tensions earlier this week, after the U.S. administration announced it "strongly opposes" a congressional proposal for an additional 455 million U.S. dollars in funding for Israel's missile defense program in 2017.

His office released a statement in which Netanyahu dismissed the administration's announcement as "an internal debate between Congress and the White House," adding that Netanyahu "is working to anchor this supplement as part of the discussions on the aid package for the next ten years." Endit