Walker: Will Meet With Netanyahu in Israel

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he "absolutely" expects to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his first visit to Israel next month.

Walker, a Republican, told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of his departure on a European trade mission that the Netanyahu meeting in mid-May is not yet confirmed, but that it's his "hope and expectation" it will happen.

A spokeswoman for Walker's political group, Our American Revival, did not immediately confirm Friday whether the meeting has been set up.

Walker originally planned for his Israel trip to be a taxpayer-funded trade mission, but he said in an interview Thursday that his political arm is now paying for it because the "overwhelming majority" of those who wanted to meet with him in Israel had a political interest.