U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro is declaring that an upcoming trip by President Barack Obama to Israel will “strengthen the ties” between the two strong allies. Shapiro emphasized the “special bond” shared by the two countries, grounded in among other things Israel’s status as the “only democracy in the Middle East.” Reports emerging late today carried statements by various American officials converging on the idea that the president’s visit, which will come on the heels of a visit by Secretary of State John Kerry, will focus on Iranian nuclearization and not the Israeli-Arab peace process.