Republican House Speaker John Boehner is expected to visit Israel at the end of March, where he and a group of lawmakers will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu around the same time that the Obama administration is expected to finalize a preliminary nuclear agreement with Iran.
Boehner's spokesman Kevin Smith didn't confirm an exact date, but said on Friday that the trip will take place during the two-week congressional holiday recess that beings on March 27, reported NBC News.
"The speaker will visit Israel during the next district work period," Smith said in a statement Friday, according to NBC. "He looks forward to visiting the country, discussing our shared priorities for peace and security in the region, and further strengthening the bond between the United States and Israel."
The United States, together with the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia and Germany, has set a March 24 deadline to establish a framework for a nuclear deal. Netanyahu and congressional Republicans have ardently opposed such a deal over fears that a weak agreement could allow Iran to move forward in obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The trip also comes on the heels of Netanyahu's successful reelection and will likely be seen as a "victory celebration" for the Prime Minister, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Earlier this month, Boehner angered the White House by unilaterally inviting Netanyahu to address a joint congressional session, a move that the administration says violated diplomatic protocols. Netanyahu used his speech to criticize Obama's impending nuclear deal for being too weak and "paving the way for Iran to get the bomb."
The White House and its allies are offering to reduce economic sanctions on Iran if the country agrees not to develop nuclear weapons. Obama has said any agreement must be "verifiable" and include "intrusive inspection measures."
