Even before the US Senate approved the appointment of Mike Pompeo to replace Rex Tillerson, who was fired March 13, as secretary of state, his people were hard at work planning a quick visit to Israel on April 29. This will be Pompeo's first official visit as secretary of state, even though the presumed secretary held a historic secret meeting before his appointment was approved with President of North Korea Kim Jong Un, in preparation for Kim’s impending meeting with President Donald Trump.

Within the administration, Pompeo is considered to be a fierce opponent of the Iran nuclear deal. His visit to Israel next week is probably intended to coordinate positions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on this sensitive issue. But the Iranians will not be the only issue to come up for discussion — so will the Palestinian issue, including the crisis in the relationship with the Palestinian Authority (PA), and the moving of the US Embassy to Jerusalem, which is scheduled for May 14.

Al-Monitor has learned from a senior official in the PA that last week, the PA received a request from the United States to allow Pompeo to meet with a senior Palestinian representative, so that he could clarify the US position regarding the continuation of the diplomatic process with Israel. The meeting will also attempt to lower the tension in preparation for the embassy’s move next month. While the request did not surprise the Palestinians, it did create some embarrassment for them.

Palestinian officials had admitted that in his former position as head of the CIA, Pompeo was the American official who opened the channels of communication between them and the Trump administration, when it looked like the sky had fallen, after Trump’s surprising election victory.