After Likud complains, Lapid’s office says US lawmakers had no interest in meeting Netanyahu

Lawmakers in Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party have penned a letter to the Foreign Ministry complaining that meetings weren’t scheduled for the former prime minister with US Congress members who visited Israel.

Responding to the letter, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s office acknowledges the “long-standard practice” of opposition leaders meeting with visiting diplomatic delegations, including during his recent stint as head of the opposition.

“After checking, the delegations did not express any interest in meeting with Opposition Leader Netanyahu, and therefore it was not necessary to coordinate such a meeting,” Lapid’s office is quoted as saying by Channel 12 news. “If such requests arrive, we will definitely deal with them.”

In response to the Foreign Ministry response, Likud puts out a statement saying “Netanyahu routinely holds diplomatic conversations and meetings, that aren’t through the Foreign Ministry.”