Biden will not shake hands or submit to selfies out of concern of potential COVID infection; at U.S. demand, anyone set to be within 3 meters of president required to test for virus
Israeli authorities will hold a final rehearsal at the Ben Gurion International airport on Tuesday, to prepare for the visit of U.S. President Joe Biden who is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday afternoon for a three-day visit.
Ministers received their invitations to the welcome ceremony and were told there would be no handshakes with the president or selfies, to avoid a COVID infection and due to the president’s busy schedule.
Ministers will partake in a group photo with Biden and Prime Minister Yair Lapid, President Issac Herzog. The ministers will also be invited without spouses, to a reception given by Herzog, where he will award the American visitor with the Presidential Medal of Honor.
Israeli and American officials have been squabbling over final scheduling to the despair of the Israeli side, a source said.
“The Americans are unable to make a decision and keep asking the White House,” the source said. “They complain that the president will be required to walk in the heat too much and that there are too many people around him. there are also constant arguments among the Israelis. It is hard to work under such circumstances,” he said.
Among other demands of the American organizers was the need of anyone who will come to within 3 meters (10 feet) of the president, must submit to a COVID test in the previous 24 hours.
Biden will land at 3:25 pm and the welcome ceremony will begin an hour later. He will then attend an exhibition of the latest air defense systems, put on by the Defense Ministry, and will receive a 20 min. briefing from Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Israel’s security challenges and the Iranian nuclear program.
At 5:55 pm Biden will arrive at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum.
On Thursday at 11am, Biden and Lapid will meet privately before being joined by their teams at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Jerusalem. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett may also attend that meeting.
At 12:15 pm the two leaders will hold a press conference.
At 1:30 pm The president and prime minister will hold a virtual meeting with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At 4:15 pm Biden will meet President Herzog and at 5:15 will have a 15 minute meeting with opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu who will arrive at the President’s residence.
At 5:30 he will receive the Presidential Medal of Honor from Herzog.
At 7:45 pm Biden is expected to attend the opening ceremony of the Maccabiah Games at the Teddy Stadium where he will meet with 250 Jewish American athletes.
On Friday at 11:15 am, Biden will visit the Agusta Victoria Hospital in east Jerusalem and will travel from there to Bethlehem for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
At 1:45 the president will arrive at the Ben Gurion Airport for a small farewell ceremony attended by Herzog before departing to Saudi Arabia.
Some 120 journalists will be traveling with the president and be joined by hundreds of other reporters who will already be in Israel to report on the visit.
