Trump ally Mike Pence in Israel for talks with far-right activists and Sheldon Adelson widow

Former US Vice President Mike Pence is in Israel, where he has met a wealthy Republican donor and far-right Israeli activists. 

Prompting speculation about a run for president in 2024, on Monday, Pence met with Dr. Miriam Adelson at her home in Jerusalem. 

Dr. Miriam is the widow of casino magnate and Republican powerbroker Sheldon Adelson, who donated vast sums of money to the Republican Party during his life and passed away in January. 

No details regarding the content of the meeting between the two were released, but Tom Rose, a former senior advisor to the Vice President and close confidante, who is also on the trip, described the dinner as "lovely".

If you thought Mike Pence was a distasteful figure,
just wait until you hear about who he met in Hebron today: Baruch Marzel & Itamar Ben Gvir whose ideology revolves around racial purity and Jewish supremacy. pic.twitter.com/MNFUJ28wsS

— Avner Gvaryahu (@AGvaryahu) March 9, 2022

The pair previously met in November, during the  Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership conference in November.

During his lifetime,  Sheldon Adelson was a prominent face in the Republican Party and served as a powerbroker. With his passing, Dr. Miriam is believed to have taken his place as the mover in Republican circles and there are questions about whether she could be spending big in the upcoming elections. 

Previously Sheldon and Miriam Adelson donated to Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, his presidential inauguration, his defence fund against the Muller Russian investigation, and his 2020 campaign. 

In addition to meeting with Dr. Miriam, the former Vice President was also pictured meeting with far-right activists Baruch Marzel and Itamar Ben Gvir in Hebron on Wednesday. 

Ben Gvir has recently been linked with a campaign of harassment against residents of the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, as settlers attempt to take over their homes. 

It is not known if Pence, who is set to receive an honorary degree from Ariel University while in Israel, will run for president in 2024, but according to Rose, he is unlikely to challenge his former boss. 

"I would strongly doubt that the vice president would actively run against President Trump in a Republican primary," Rose told the Jerusalem Post. 

"If the president decides not to run, I think the vice president is an incredibly serious candidate."

Pence is reportedly set to meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid before travelling to Morocco.