Pompeo travels to Israel amid coronavirus outbreak

U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo has arrived in Israel amid the coronavirus pandemic to discuss U.S.-backed plans to annex large parts of the Palestinian territories.

The single-stop visit – Pompeo’s first in nearly two months – will last just a few hours, with a small U.S. team afforded exemptions from strict Israeli coronavirus restrictions that require any arrivals to self-isolate for two weeks.

Pompeo stepped off the plane wearing a striped face mask in the colours of the U.S. flag. He will travel to Jerusalem to speak with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Benny Gantz, the former head of the opposition who will soon join Netanyahu in a unity government, The Guardian reported.