White House cancels meeting, reprimands Netanyahu in response to video
The White House canceled a high-level U.S.-Israel meeting scheduled for Thursday regarding Iran after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video Tuesday claiming the U.S. is withholding military aid , according to two US officials who spoke to Axios.
Context and challenges : The move marks a significant turning point, as President Biden’s top advisers were furious after the video was released. U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein delivered the message personally to Netanyahu during a meeting hours after the video was released, according to U.S. and Israeli sources. The White House then decided to go further by canceling Thursday’s meeting.
“This decision makes clear that there are consequences for such maneuvers,” a US official said. A senior Israeli official added: “The Americans are furious. Bibi’s video caused a lot of damage,” using Netanyahu’s nickname. Some Israeli officials were already on their way to Washington when the meeting was canceled.
Two U.S. officials told Axios the meeting was canceled to send a message about the video. A third said the meeting was postponed due to a scheduling problem.
The triggering event: In the video, Netanyahu, speaking in English, said it was “inconceivable that in recent months the administration has withheld arms and ammunition from Israel. » In public, the White House expressed its incomprehension. Spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre pointed out that only one arms delivery had been suspended since the start of the war, while billions of dollars’ worth of arms had been delivered without hindrance. “We really don’t know what he’s talking about,” she said. Privately, Biden’s team was angry and shocked by Netanyahu’s ingratitude, according to a U.S. official.
Behind the scenes : Hochstein was already scheduled to meet Netanyahu on Tuesday during a stopover in Israel on his way back from Beirut, where he was trying to defuse the situation on the Israel-Lebanon border. Once in the room, he told Netanyahu that the accusations in the video were both inaccurate and inappropriate, according to two Israeli officials briefed on the meeting.
Additionally, Biden’s top advisers decided to cancel the strategic dialogue on Iran, which was expected to include hours of meetings involving officials from the State Department, Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies, as well as their counterparts Israelis.
An Israeli official confirmed that the White House had informed Israel of the decision. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will still meet with his Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi, who has already left for the United States, according to an Israeli official. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is also still scheduled to visit Washington early next week, according to Israeli officials.
Current situation : Relations between the Biden and Netanyahu teams are more tense now than at any time since the Gaza war began on October 7.
Backtracking: This is the second time that a strategic dialogue meeting on Iran has been canceled at the last minute. In March, it was Netanyahu who canceled the meeting after the United States refused to veto a UN Security Council resolution that referred to a ceasefire in Gaza.
source: Axios World.
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