OTTAWA – Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird kicks off a four-day trip to Israel on Friday that will also take him to the Palestinian West Bank this weekend.
Baird arrives with Israel in campaign mode for a national election set for March 17.
He’ll meet the major candidates, including hardline incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as opposition leader Isaac Herzog and former foreign minister Tzipi Livni, who have formed an opposing coalition.
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In the West Bank capital of Ramallah on Sunday, Baird will meet his Palestinian Authority counterpart Riad al-Malki, and travel back to Israel to meet other key Palestinian figures, including former Palestinian Authority prime minister Salam Fayyad.
It will be Baird’s first opportunity to talk to Palestinian officials since the United Nations Security Council blocked a Palestinian bid to set a three-year deadline for the establishment of a Palestinian state on lands occupied by Israel.
Baird says he wants to strengthen Canada’s partnership with Israel on a number of fronts, including security and trade.
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