Israel’s President Isaac Herzog delivers a speech during a tribute ceremony at the Halle aux Grains in Toulouse, southern France, on March 20, 2022. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog will visit Washington, D.C., on October 25 and 26 for meetings with President Biden, Congress, and American Jewish leaders, Herzog and the White House announced on Monday. It will be the first such visit by Israel’s president to the United States since he assumed office in 2021 and follows Biden’s invitation that he visit the US during Biden’s trip to Israel in July.

“The purpose of the visit is to strengthen the strong partnership between the US and Israel and to reflect the deep ties between the countries, which are above all controversy,” Herzog said on Twitter.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that during their meeting, Presidents Herzog and Biden would “consult on key issues, including regional and global challenges of mutual concern, opportunities to deepen Israel’s regional integration, and ways to advance equal measures of freedom, prosperity, and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.”

The Israeli presidency is a ceremonial head-of-state position voted on by the Knesset for a single seven-year term.

The visit will come just days ahead of Israel’s parliamentary elections on 1 November. This will be Israel’s fifth election since 2019, and polling suggests that the outcome will once again be closely decided.

Among the issues the Israeli electorate will deliver its verdict on is the maritime border deal agreed between Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Lebanese President Michel Aoun, which was brokered by the Biden administration.