US ambassador to Israel James B. Cunningham told Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin during a meeting Tuesday that President Barack Obama is planning an Israel trip.
"The president wants to visit and he will do so," Cunningham told Rivlin.
Rivlin told Cunningham that "Israelis sense that the atmosphere in the White House has changed for the worse. The feeling is that Obama views Israel as a burden more than as a strategic asset."
"When the president visited Egypt and the region, he decided not to visit Israel, something which bothered many Israelis," Rivlin continued.
Rivlin also told Cunningham that under the Obama administration he “would not want to depend on the Americans in the face of a dangerous situation.”
Cunningham responded to Rivlin telling him that such feelings were erroneous and that the president plans to visit Israel.
But observers note the chilly relations between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu have colored US-Israeli relations and that Obama's policy statements often snub Israel or ultimately prove detrimental to its interests.
Cunningham, who plans to resign after three years as ambassador to Israel, did not indicate a date for the visit.
Political analysts suggest Obama's visit may be motivated by a desire to shore up his now dubious 'Israel credentials' as he looks to reelection and a GOP field of staunchly pro-Israel candidates who may use Israel as lever against him in the 2012 campaign.