, Columnist
Why Mike Pompeo Is Getting on a Plane to Israel Now
As the U.S. heads into a Cold War with China, Pompeo is lining up allies.
Old friends, new partnerships.
Photographer: JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFPThis article is for subscribers only.
The last time U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Jerusalem, in October 2019, the Trump Plan for the West Bank was an unhatched egg, Benjamin Netanyahu was a caretaker prime minister facing an uncertain political future — and Corona was nothing but a beer.
Now there is both more certainty and a greater sense of urgency. While Pompeo comes in part to initiate contact with a new Israeli coalition government and support a controversial change in U.S. policy toward the region, he also wants something of Israel in return.