Rahm Emanuel in Israel; will meet with Netanyahu and Peres

WASHINGTON–White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday for what the White House called on Tuesday “an informal discussion of a range of issues in the U.S.-Israel bilateral relationship.”

Emanuel, whose father, Benjamin, was born in Israel, flew to Israel last week with other family members for the bar mitzvah of his son, Zach and a nephew. On Thursday, the White House said the Emanuel family will visit with Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Over the weekend, Emanuel and his family visited Eilat, in southern Israel and made a short trip to Jordan. Emanuel brothers Ari, a Hollywood superagent and Ezekiel, a White House health policy advisor are on the trip. Here is my earlier report on Emanuel in Israel, and the sometimes strained U.S.-Israeli relationship.