Opposition leader (Kadima) former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is planning a trip to Washington, scheduling her arrival ahead of next month’s planned first meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Barak Obama.

Livni will be a guest at the annual AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee) assembly. The prime minister was scheduled to attend, but has opted to ask President Shimon Peres to appear in his place, presumably not wishing to disclose key elements of his policies ahead of his first White House meeting.

During this first trip to the US capital as opposition leader, Livni will meet with elected officials on Capitol Hill, as well as members of the Obama administration. While she is not expected to meet with the US president ahead of the prime minister, it is likely that she will meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Livni has already signaled she views herself as an emissary of the state and as such, she will conduct herself accordingly. Livni is quoted as saying “Abroad, there is only one government, not a coalition and opposition, and our differences must be addressed at home, not abroad”.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)