From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 19, 2023
Smotrich to visit the US next month, unclear if he’ll meet Biden officials — source
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will make his first trip to the US since joining the government in March, when he will speak at the annual Israel Bonds conference in Washington, a source familiar with the matter confirms to The Times of Israel.
It is not yet clear whether Smotrich will also meet with officials from US President Joe Biden’s administration during the visit.
The Treasury Department has not responded to a query as to whether its officials will meet with Smotrich, who has a long history of remarks against Arabs, Palestinians, the LGBTQ community, and non-Orthodox Jews.
The Biden administration has yet to engage with Smotrich’s electoral partner, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and US officials say they view Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as their main interlocutor in the new hardline Israeli government.
The March 12-14 trip falls precariously close to the March 23 deadline on passing the state budget, indicating Smotrich is not worried about the chances of approving it.
The Times of Israel Community.