Jerusalem, 22 December, 2021 (TPS) — US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Israeli National Security Advisor Dr. Eyal Hulata led a meeting in Jerusalem together on Wednesday of the U.S.-Israel Strategic Consultative Group. The U.S. and Israeli delegations included senior officials from across their respective foreign policy, defense, and intelligence agencies.
The SCG was established between America and Israel as a bilateral forum for collaboration in the two nations’ efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The two issued a joint statement after the meeting.
Sullivan arrived in Israel as part of a three-day trip to the region to meet with the country’s leadership, as Iran and Western powers are engaged in talks in Vienna to reinstate a nuclear deal that the US left in 2018 under the leadership of President Donald Trump. Washington currently appears to be skeptical of the success of the negotiations.
NSA Sullivan also met on Wednesday with both Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and its President Isaac Herzog.
The meetings today took place as Israel’s Prime Minister is reported to be unable to get President Biden to accept his phone calls.
The officials discussed what they described as the exceptional level of engagement and consultation between the U.S. and Israeli governments this past year on issues of vital strategic importance to the region.
At the meeting Mr. Sullivan reaffirmed what he said is the United States’ “unwavering commitment” to Israel’s security and self-defense and underscored the importance of continuing to expand bilateral cooperation on the challenges and opportunities in the Middle East, including expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords.
The delegations also discussed the need to confront all aspects of the threat posed by Iran, including its nuclear program, destabilizing activities in the region, and support for terrorist proxy groups. They agreed that Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program poses a grave threat to the region and to international peace and security.
Mr. Sullivan also updated the Israeli delegation on recent developments in the Vienna talks and the two sides exchanged views on the way forward. The officials affirmed that the United States and Israel are aligned in their determination to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. Mr. Sullivan and Dr. Hulata agreed that they will continue to deepen their close dialogue on all matters of regional security in the New Year.