A senior administration official announced Monday that US Vice President Joe Biden would visit Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia next month, ending months of speculation about his trip to the Middle East.

According to the official, who spoke anonymously, the 13th through 16th of July would be filled with meetings with almost a dozen peers from throughout the region and beyond.

His first destination would be in Israel, the person stated in a phone call in the background, adding: "This will be President Biden's first visit to Israel as president, nearly fifty years after his first trip there as a young senator.

In a statement outlining the president's itinerary, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that Vice President Biden would meet with Israeli leaders to discuss Israel's security, prosperity, and growing integration into the wider region.

The president will meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian authorities in the occupied West Bank, Palestine, following his discussions in Israel.

Biden "looks forward to reaffirming his lifelong commitment to a two-state solution and to discuss the ways in which we might rekindle a political horizon that can ensure equal measures of freedom, security, prosperity and dignity to Israelis and Palestinians alike," an official told reporters.

After visiting the West Bank, Vice President Biden will drive to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he will participate in the GCC+3 Summit.

Jean-Pierre stated that Biden would discuss various bilateral, regional, and global problems with his counterparts during the president's talks in Jeddah.

"These include support to the UN-mediated truce in Yemen, which has led to the most peaceful period there since the war began seven years ago," the spokeswoman said.

"He will also discuss means for expanding regional economic and security cooperation, including new and promising infrastructure and climate initiatives, as well as deterring threats from Iran, advancing human rights, and ensuring global energy and food security," she said.

Jean-Pierre added that Biden "appreciates the leadership of King Salman and his invitation." "The United States has maintained a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia for nearly eight decades.

Tuesday, the Saudi state press agency (SPA) revealed that the visit would occur between July 15 and 16.

Meeting the Saudi prince

A senior official responded to a reporter's question about whether the president will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by stating that Vice President Biden will meet with his counterparts and Saudi officials.

"So yes, we can expect the president to see the crown prince," the official confirmed.

Biden has long opposed meeting with bin Salman, who, according to US intelligence, ordered the brutal murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul in 2018.

The president stated in 2019 that he would declare Saudi Arabia a "pariah" state in part because of the death of Khashoggi.

According to the person, the president will discuss human rights concerns with the Saudis.

The insider continued, "While we recalibrate relations (with Riyadh), we're not seeking to rupture relations with Saudi Arabia, which has been a strategic partner of the United States for eight decades,"