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An influential politician from Israel who is in conflict with Benjamin Netanyahu is currently in Washington for a series of discussions, which have already been met with a strong retaliation from the Israeli leader.
On Monday, Benny Gantz will have meetings with Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. He will also meet with top leaders in Congress at Capitol Hill. The plans for his meeting with Ms. Harris are similar to the summaries of Mr. Biden’s previous meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
However, Mr. Gantz’s position as a centrist opponent to Mr. Netanyahu in the coalition government has displeased the prime minister and his supporters, regarding his trip to DC. According to reports, Mr. Netanyahu reprimanded Mr. Gantz on a phone call this weekend and instructed officials at the Israeli embassy in Washington not to accompany the former defense minister in his meetings.
Multiple media outlets quoted a source close to the prime minister, who stated that Mr Netanyahu had explicitly conveyed to Minister Gantz that there can only be one prime minister in the State of Israel.
The White House has stated that Ms Harris will emphasize the need to decrease civilian deaths and also confirmed that discussions about the political future of the Palestinian people will take place. US officials have not made any statements yet regarding the evident division within the country caused by this visit, or whether the Biden administration is trying to convey a message by arranging for high-ranking officials to meet with Mr Gantz. It is reported that the president is becoming more and more frustrated with Mr Netanyahu and his handling of the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza, where numerous civilians are being killed and famine is becoming a major issue.
Mr. Gantz has refrained from making any public statements regarding his recent disagreement with his political opponent.
The Biden administration is receiving increased and strong criticism from progressives in his political party regarding Israel’s military reaction to the lethal attacks in Gaza on October 7. It is believed that there may still be Americans being held captive by Hamas militants in Gaza, and the alarming number of civilian casualties from the Israeli assault has caused a growing group of Democrats, including some in Congress, to urge President Biden to take action and facilitate a lasting ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The president and his team have been pushing back against this pressure, while also trying to maintain good relations with these same Democrats in preparation for a challenging reelection campaign this autumn, likely against Donald Trump.
During certain recent occasions, Mr. Biden and other officials in his administration, such as first lady Dr. Jill Biden most recently, have been disrupted by protestors demanding a cessation of violence in Gaza.
Source: independent.co.uk
