FILE - In this Monday, March 19, 2018 file photo, Prime Minister of Iceland Katrin Jakobsdottir attends a press statement in Berlin, Germany. Iceland's leader has announced that she will skip U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep "prior commitments" by attending a trade union conference in Sweden. Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir says on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019 planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions' annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden on Sept. 3, the day before Pence's arrival. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, file)

FILE - In this Monday, March 19, 2018 file photo, Prime Minister of Iceland Katrin Jakobsdottir attends a press statement in Berlin, Germany. Iceland's leader has announced that she will skip U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep "prior commitments" by attending a trade union conference in Sweden. Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir says on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019 planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions' annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden on Sept. 3, the day before Pence's arrival. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, file)

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland’s leader has announced that she will skip U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep “prior commitments” by attending a trade union conference and meetings in Sweden.

Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that she’s planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions’ annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden, on Sept. 3 — the day before Pence’s arrival. She will only return the afternoon of Sept. 4 after private meetings with Nordic union leaders, her office said.

“This visit, that was organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organize oneself around it,” she told Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Tuesday. Her office Wednesday confirmed that she had not changed her mind.

She also underscored that the arrangement was “absolutely not” about snubbing the Trump administration and that she had earlier this year met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The decision was made before President Donald Trump announced that he would cancel a visit to another Nordic nation, Denmark.

Pence is expected to discuss Iceland’s strategic importance in the Arctic and NATO’s efforts to counter Russia in the region. In July, the United States announced it would invest $57 million on military infrastructure near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik.

“This is unprecedented for an Icelandic prime minister,” historian Thor Whitehead told The Associated Press. “I doubt any other Western leader would decide to address a friendly conference abroad instead of welcoming a major foreign ally.”

The office of prime minister holds the highest authority in Iceland, where the presidency is a symbolic position without much formal power.

Since taking office, Jakobsdottir has spearheaded progressive policies on abortion rights, LGBT rights and climate change. Activists including members of her own Left Green Party have protested Pence’s visit, calling it “disrespectful” to minorities.

Pence’s visit is organized by Iceland’s foreign ministry, led by Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson from Iceland’s conservative Independence Party. The party is Iceland’s largest and entered into a rare coalition with Jakobsdottir’s party after failing to secure a majority in elections in 2017.

Pence will be the first U.S. vice president to visit Iceland, a country of just 350,000 people, since George H.W. Bush visited Reykjavik in 1983. </s> The top leader of Iceland said she will miss a visit to her tiny North Atlantic nation by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence next month in favor of speaking at a trade union conference in Sweden.

Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said "prior commitments" will keep her from meeting with Pence in early September. She is scheduled to address the Council of Nordic Trade Unions' annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden, on Sept. 3. Pence arrives Sept. 4 en route to the United Kingdom and Ireland.

"It was already known that I was offered to be the keynote speaker at the annual convention of the Nordic trade unions a long time ago, and like everyone knows I've never been one to shy away from labour market matters," Jakobsdottir said in an interview with RÚV, the Icelandic national broadcasting service.

Jakobsdottir said that Pence's visit has been organized by the nation's foreign ministry and "has been moving back and forth on the calendar so it has been difficult to plan around it."

The prime minister is a member of her country's Green Party. She supports abortion and LGBT rights and climate change activism. Although some in her party have been critical of Pence, Jakobsdottir insisted she is not trying to snub him.

"No, not at all," she said in the RÚV interview. "I had a good meeting with Mike Pompeo, the United States Secretary of State, earlier this year and likewise had a conversation with Donald Trump at a NATO meeting last year. I can assure everyone that when Mike Pence arrives in Iceland – I just hope the date is final now – that he will meet with Iceland's finest leaders."

The decision to visit Sweden and miss Pence was made before President Trump canceled his planned September trip to Denmark after its prime minister said the Danish government had no interest in discussing the sale of Greenland to the U.S.

"This is unprecedented for an Icelandic prime minister," historian Thor Whitehead told The Associated Press. "I doubt any other Western leader would decide to address a friendly conference abroad instead of welcoming a major foreign ally."

Pence's trip was announced in mid-August and it was meant "highlight Iceland's strategic importance in the Arctic and NATO's efforts to counter Russian aggression in the region," the White House said.

Last month it was announced that the U.S. will spend $57 million to house two fighter jet squadrons at Keflavík airport near Reykjavik. </s> Reykjavik: Iceland's leader has announced that she will skip US Vice President Mike Pence's visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep "prior commitments" by attending a trade union conference and meetings in Sweden.

Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that she's planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions' annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden, on September 3 - the day before Pence's arrival.

She will only return the afternoon of September 4 after private meetings with Nordic union leaders, her office said.

"This visit, that was organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organise oneself around it," she told Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Tuesday. Her office Wednesday confirmed that she had not changed her mind. </s> (REYKJAVIK, Iceland) — Iceland’s leader has announced that she will skip U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep “prior commitments” by attending a trade union conference in Sweden.

Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that she’s planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions’ annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden, on Sept. 3 — the day before Pence’s arrival. She has no plans to return the following day for his visit.

“This visit, that was organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organize oneself around it,” she told Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Tuesday. Her office Wednesday confirmed that she had not changed her mind.

She also underscored that the arrangement was “absolutely not” about snubbing the Trump administration and that she had earlier this year met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The decision was made before President Donald Trump announced that he would cancel a visit to another Nordic nation, Denmark.

Pence is expected to discuss Iceland’s strategic importance in the Arctic and NATO’s efforts to counter Russia in the region. In July, the United States announced it would invest $57 million on military infrastructure near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik.

“This is unprecedented for an Icelandic prime minister,” historian Thor Whitehead told The Associated Press. “I doubt any other Western leader would decide to address a friendly conference abroad instead of welcoming a major foreign ally.”

The office of prime minister holds the highest authority in Iceland, where the presidency is a symbolic position without much formal power.

Since taking office, Jakobsdottir has spearheaded progressive policies on abortion rights, LGBT rights and climate change. Activists including members of her own Left Green Party have protested Pence’s visit, calling it “disrespectful” to minorities.

Pence’s visit is organized by Iceland’s foreign ministry, led by Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson from Iceland’s conservative Independence Party. The party is Iceland’s largest and entered into a rare coalition with Jakobsdottir’s party after failing to secure a majority in elections in 2017.

Pence will be the first U.S. vice president to visit Iceland, a country of just 350,000 people, since George H.W. Bush visited Reykjavik in 1983. </s> Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that she won’t be around when Vice President Mike Pence visits the country next month.

The leader of the Nordic nation has planned for months to give a keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions’ annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden on Sept. 3, which happens to be the day before Pence is set to land, her office said.

“This visit, that was organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organize oneself around it,” Jakobsdottir told Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Tuesday.

“The fact is that I was very long ago asked to give the keynote speech at the annual conference of the Nordic trades unions movement and, as everybody knows, I have made workplace matters a personal issue,” she said.

Jakobsdottir will return to Iceland the next day, in the afternoon.

The Green Party member emphasized that her decision to skip the visit was “absolutely not” about spurning the Trump administration.

“I had a good meeting with Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, earlier this year and also had a discussion with Donald Trump at the NATO meeting last year. I can promise everyone that when Mike Pence comes here — and I am working on the assumption that the date is now firm – that he will meet a top-ranking team of Icelandic leaders,” Jakobsdottir said.

During Pence’s visit, he is expected to discuss Iceland’s importance to NATO. </s> REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland's leader has announced that she will skip U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep "prior commitments" by attending a trade union conference in Sweden.

Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that she's planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions' annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden, on Sept. 3 — the day before Pence's arrival. She has no plans to return the following day for his visit.

"This visit, that was organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organize oneself around it," she told Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Tuesday. Her office Wednesday confirmed that she had not changed her mind.

She also underscored that the arrangement was "absolutely not" about snubbing the Trump administration and that she had earlier this year met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The decision was made before President Donald Trump announced that he would cancel a visit to another Nordic nation, Denmark. </s> Iceland Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that she will not be around for Vice President Pence when he visits the country next month.

Jakobsdottir told the Icelandic news outlet RUV that it was “very difficult” to organize herself around the visit, which is planned for Sept. 4, saying she’ll be out of the country on other business.

“The fact is that I was very long ago asked to give the keynote speech at the annual conference of the Nordic trades unions movement and, as everybody knows, I have made workplace matters a personal issue,” she told the outlet. “It is also a fact that this visit that was organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organize oneself around it.”

Jakobsdottir’s politics differ sharply from Trump’s and Pence’s. A member of the country’s Green Party and an avowed feminist, she supports abortion and LGBT rights and climate change. She downplayed the notion that her absence during Pence’s visit was a snub or an act of protest.

“Absolutely not,” she told RUV. “I had a good meeting with Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, earlier this year and also had a discussion with Donald Trump at the NATO meeting last year. I can promise everyone that when Mike Pence comes here — and I am working on the assumption that the date is now firm — that he will meet a top-ranking team of Icelandic leaders.”

[Iceland is trying to close the gender pay gap by publicly shaming companies]

Pence is expected to highlight Iceland’s importance to NATO during his visit.

Jakobsdottir’s trip abroad was finalized before Trump said Tuesday that he would cancel a state visit to nearby Denmark when that country said it would not entertain the sale of Greenland, an autonomous island that is part of the kingdom of Denmark.

That fight escalated on Wednesday, with Trump saying Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had made “nasty” comments about his interest in having the United States purchase Greenland.

“I thought it was not a nice statement, the way she blew me off,” Trump said. “She shouldn’t treat the United States that way. … She said ‘absurd.’ That’s not the right word to use.”

Historian Thor Whitehead told the Associated Press that he thought the Jakobsdottir’s decision was “unprecedented.”

“I doubt any other Western leader would decide to address a friendly conference abroad instead of welcoming a major foreign ally,” he said.

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Elizabeth Warren just met her look-alike at a rally. Can you tell them apart? </s> Iceland's leader won't be around to welcome Pence

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland's leader has announced she will skip U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep a prior commitment to attend a trade union conference in Sweden.

Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said she's planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions' annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden on Sept. 3, the day before Pence's arrival. She has no plans to return the following day for his visit.

She told Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Tuesday that the visit "has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organize oneself around it." Her office Wednesday confirmed she hadn't changed her mind.

The decision was made before President Donald Trump canceled plans to visit Denmark. </s> From left, Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Prime Minister of Iceland Katrin Jakobsdottir arrive at Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Tuesday Aug. 20, 2019, ahead of the Nordic Prime Ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Egill Bjarnason)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two days after he said buying Greenland wasn’t a top priority, President Donald Trump canceled an upcoming trip to Denmark, which owns the mostly frozen island, after its prime minister dismissed the idea.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had called Trump’s musing about buying the Danish territory “an absurd discussion” after the former real estate mogul-turned-president began to talk up the idea.

Trump said Sunday that he was interested in such a deal for strategic purposes, but said a purchase was not a priority at this time. “It’s not No. 1 on the burner,” he told reporters.

Trump even joked about his proposal as it came in for ridicule, tweeting a doctored photo of a glistening Trump skyscraper looming over a small village in the Arctic territory.

“I promise not to do this to Greenland,” he joked Monday.

But on Tuesday, Trump abruptly canceled the visit, also by tweet.

Just a few hours earlier, the U.S. ambassador to Denmark tweeted that it was “ready for the POTUS @realDonaldTrump visit!” using an acronym for “President of the United States” along with Trump’s Twitter handle.

Trump wrote: “Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time.”

He added: “The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct. I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!”

White House spokesman Judd Deere said later that the visit to Denmark has been canceled.

The White House announced in late July that Trump had accepted an invitation to visit Denmark’s Queen Margrethe and participate in a series of meetings, including with Frederiksen and business leaders.

The trip, set to begin at the end of August, includes a stop in Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II.

Trump is expected to go ahead with the Warsaw visit.

Asked about Greenland on Sunday as he prepared to return to Washington after a vacation week at his central New Jersey home, Trump said “strategically … it would be nice” to own the island.

He also suggested he might not visit Denmark at all, saying he didn’t think the previously announced trip had been “absolutely set in stone yet.”

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report. </s> JERUSALEM (AP) — The Latest on Vice President Mike Pence's visit to Israel (all times local):

The Foreign Press Association in Israel is speaking out against an Israeli demand to strip-search a Finnish journalist covering the visit by Vice President Mike Pence.

The woman says she was taken behind a curtain on Monday at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, where she says she was questioned, patted down, and then asked to remove her bra for an inspection. She says she refused and was barred from covering the event.

The woman, who was born and raised in Finland, believes she was singled out because her father is Palestinian.

The FPA, which represents some 400 journalists working for international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories, accused Israel of ethnic profiling. It calls the Israeli practice of strip-searching journalists a "mark of shame" aimed at intimidating reporters.

Vice President Mike Pence says the "door's open" for the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table with Israel on a peace agreement.

Pence spoke to The Associated Press in an interview following his address to the Knesset on Monday. He says the U.S. is hopeful that the Palestinian Authority "will be encouraged to return to the table."

Palestinian leaders have assailed the U.S. for its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying it is no longer impartial. They have rejected the U.S. role in future peace talks.

Pence says President Donald Trump made clear in December that the U.S. would respect "the status quo" with regard to holy sites and that boundaries in the Holy Land would be subject to negotiations.

The Palestinians have issued an angry reaction to Vice President Mike Pence's speech to the Israeli parliament, saying it was a "gift to extremists."

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said Pence's speech on Monday "has proven that the U.S. administration is part of the problem rather than the solution."

Pence repeated the Trump administration's controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and said the American Embassy will be moved to the city next year, earlier than previously expected.

The U.S. decision upended decades of American policy, and the stance of the international community, that the fate of Jerusalem be settled through negotiations.

The Palestinians claim Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital and accuse the U.S. of siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in their conflict.

Vice President Mike Pence is calling the Iranian nuclear deal a "disaster" and says the Trump administration will no longer certify it.

Instead, Pence told the Israeli parliament on Monday that the administration is "committed to enact effective and lasting restraints on Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

Pence has received a warm welcome in Israel, which has praised the American decision last month to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is among the fiercest opponents to the nuclear accord the Obama administration reached with Iran, saying it could pave a path for the Islamic Republic acquiring a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel's existence.

Pence says that the deal is not fixed and that in the coming months, the United States will "withdraw from the deal."

Vice President Mike Pence is "strongly" urging the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table.

In a speech to the Israeli parliament, Pence said on Monday that "peace can only come through dialogue."

The Palestinians have angrily protested the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and say the U.S. cannot be trusted as a mediator. They have said they will reject any peace plan the Trump administration presents.

Pence told the parliament that Israel "can be confident" that the U.S will never compromise Israel's security.

Vice President Mike Pence says the United States will open its embassy in Jerusalem next year, ahead of schedule.

In an address to the Israeli parliament on Monday, Pence defended the controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which has been condemned by the Palestinians and their Arab allies.

Pence says the administration will advance its plan in the coming weeks and the embassy will open by the end of 2019. Previous estimates had been the move would take three or four years.

The Palestinians claim Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital. They say the U.S. cannot be a mediator after the decision and have pre-emptively rejected any peace plan presented by the Trump administration.

Arab lawmakers in Israel's parliament have been tossed out from the house for heckling Vice President Mike Pence at the start of his speech.

The main Arab party in the Israeli parliament warned ahead of time it would boycott Pence on Monday.

The Knesset, which is accustomed to such high-profile visits, had added a new layer of security, and besides the speaker and other dignitaries, lawmakers did not have direct access to Pence.

Ayman Odeh, leader of the Joint Arab List, said it was the party's democratic right to boycott the speech by the U.S. vice president. In a tweet, he said the party will not provide a "silent backdrop" to a man he called a "dangerous racist."

Netanyahu called the boycott a disgrace. He and other gave Pence a standing ovation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is thanking visiting Vice President Mike Pence for standing up for the "truth" and supporting Israel at the United Nations.

Netanyahu told Pence on Monday in a speech to parliament that President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the country's capital will go down as one of the most historic in Israel's history.

Alternating between English and Hebrew, Netanyahu lauded the unbreakable alliance between the countries, saying they had a "shared destiny."

He said: "America has no greater friend than Israel, and Israel has no greater friend than the United States of America."

Pence has received a warm welcome in Israel, which has praised the American decision last month to recognize Jerusalem. The decision has infuriated the Palestinians and upset America's Arab allies as well.

Dozens of Palestinians are demonstrating in the West Bank city of Nablus against the visit of Vice President Mike Pence to Israel.

Protesters chanted against President Donald Trump and stepped on pictures of Pence in a sign of anger.

Some shouted: "Trump you are pig. May God demolish your home. How mean you are!"

The Palestinians are furious at Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as their capital and accuse Trump of siding with Israel on the most sensitive issue in the conflict.

The Palestinians say the United States cannot be a mediator and have pre-emptively rejected any peace proposal the White House offers.

The Palestinians plan a mass strike on Tuesday against the Pence visit.

Vice President Mike Pence has arrived at Israel's parliament to deliver the keynote speech of his two-day visit that was part of a Mideast trip.

Pence signed the Knesset guest book on Monday and laid a wreath for the fallen soldier at its entrance plaza.

Pence has received a warm welcome in Israel, which has praised the American decision last month to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The decision has infuriated the Palestinians and upset America's Arab allies as well.

The main Arab party in the Israeli parliament said it will boycott Pence's speech — though it wasn't immediately clear whether they would walk out in protest, heckle or skip the session altogether.

Vice President Mike Pence has kicked off a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

Pence placed his right hand over his heart as an honor guard greeted him with the American national anthem.

White House Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt, U.S. Ambassador David Friedman and the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer, joined Monday's ceremony before Pence and Netanyahu began their meeting.

Pence is receiving a warm welcome in Israel, which has praised the American decision last month to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The decision has infuriated the Palestinians and upset America's Arab allies as well.

Before Israel, Pence has visited Egypt and Jordan on the trip.

He is to deliver a speech to the Israeli Knesset, or parliament, later in the day.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The office of the Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir confirms that she will not meet the Vice President of the United States Mike Pence on his visit in September, citing "prior commitments."