Reportedly, a significant gathering between American and Israeli security officials in Washington, DC, has been called off by the White House. This decision follows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism of the Biden administration’s suspension of arms shipments to Israel.
The cancellation of the high-level talks by the White House was intended to convey a message to Netanyahu that criticism of the Biden administration in such terms was not tolerated, as stated by two US officials.
One US official said, “This decision makes it clear that there are consequences for pulling such stunts.” Meanwhile, a top Israeli official agreed to the report, stating that “the Americans are fuming. [Netanyahu’s] video made a lot of damage.”
This follows Netanyahu’s video statement where he mentioned that Israel, a strong ally of the US, is engaged in combatting mutual adversaries, such as Iran. “Secretary Blinken assured me that the administration is working day and night to remove these bottlenecks,” he asserted following his meeting with the top US diplomat. “I certainly hope that’s the case. It should be the case.”
He additionally condemned the Biden administration for its “inconceivable” decision to withhold weapons and ammunition supply to Israel.
Biden’s top advisors were furious over Netanyahu’s video, which was conveyed directly to him by US Ambassador Amos Hochstein in a subsequent meeting, leading to the cancellation of the Thursday meeting.
The meeting was canceled after Israeli officials had begun their journey to Washington, but a third US official clarified that it was postponed due to a scheduling conflict.
The White House was surprised by Netanyahu’s remarks and lack of gratitude. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted that despite billions in weapon shipments, only one supply had been halted since the war began. She stated, “We genuinely do not know what he is talking about.”
Consequently, they canceled the strategic dialogue on Iran, which was to include the Pentagon, American intelligence agencies, and their Israeli counterparts.
The Biden-Netanyahu rift worsened during the Israel-Hamas conflict, marked by the cancellation of a second last-minute meeting on Iran.
