US Vice President Mike Pence is delaying his visit to Israel due to tax reform issues in Congress, the Knesset confirmed to The Jerusalem Post Thursday. Pence was scheduled to arrive in Israel on Sunday (December 17).
The Knesset confirmed the postponement, stating that Pence would instead arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday.
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Knesset confirms: @VP Pence is postponing his visit to Israel to Tuesday or Wednesday because of votes on tax reform. @talshalev1 reported the postponement first.
— Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) December 14, 2017
The trip to Israel follows President Trump's official recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and decision to move the US embassy there.
Pence's visit to Israel will be part of a wider regional trip that will also take him to the Palestinian Authority and Egypt. He is expected to address the Knesset, the first senior US official to do so since president George W. Bush in 2008.
Pence, in an interview on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), said he was “humbled” by the opportunity to speak to the Knesset.
During that interview, Pence said that he will be delivering the “strong message” that “if the world knows nothing else, the world should know this: Under President Donald Trump, America stands with Israel.”
Pence said that as he travels through the area he will also “reaffirm our commitment to peace in the region.”
Herb Keinon contributed to this report.