Netanyahu said to bash Israeli ambassador to US over lack of White House invite
PM reportedly complains to Michael Herzog he ‘should be doing more’ to secure visit, says President Herzog’s trip this week may be used as excuse to not invite him in near future
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog during a meeting last week over the government’s strained ties with the Biden administration, according to a report Sunday.
Unidentified diplomatic sources told Channel 13 news that Netanyahu’s main complaint was the lack of invitation to the White House since his return to office in late December.
“You should be doing more to obtain a White House invitation,” Netanyahu was quoted as telling Herzog.
The ambassador reportedly responded that he has been working for months with the US administration to find a date.
The report also cited diplomatic sources saying Netanyahu is displeased by President Isaac Herzog’s trip this week to New York and Washington, which will include a meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House. Netanyahu told the ambassador — who is the president’s brother — that he thought the trip would give the White House legitimacy to avoid inviting the premier in the near future, the report said.
Herzog’s visit, and Netanyahu’s lack of an invite, comes amid tensions between the Biden administration and the government.
In late March, Biden said Netanyahu would not be visiting the White House in the “near term” amid Washington’s frustration with his government’s judicial overhaul plan. Days earlier, Israel’s ambassador to Washington was summoned to the State Department for a dressing down over violations of commitments regarding policy toward the Palestinians.
Biden last week said Netanyahu’s coalition has some “of the most extreme members” he has seen in Israel, lamenting that they back unrestricted settlement growth and do not recognize any Palestinian right to the territory.
Netanyahu’s office has sought to downplay the divide, saying Wednesday that “it is no secret that we have disagreements with the US government around establishing a Palestinian state, returning to the dangerous nuclear agreement with Iran, and PM Netanyahu’s stance against the ‘no surprises’ policy around Israeli actions against Iran. However, the ties between Israel and the US have grown close over the course of decades, and security cooperation has reached an all-time high under Prime Minister Netanyahu’s leadership.”
But after New York Times columnist Tom Friedman penned an op-ed saying that the administration has begun “reassessing” its ties to the Netanyahu government, the White House sufficed by issuing a response that it was not engaged in a “formal” reset, leaving open the possibility that it has started reviewing the relationship in an unofficial manner.
In a move that may further irk the Biden administration, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen is considering appointing Joe Zevuloni, an Israeli-American supporter of disgraced former president Donald Trump, as a special envoy to the United States, the Walla news site reported Sunday.
Citing unnamed Israeli officials, the report said the Foreign Ministry brass was concerned by the proposal in light of Zevuloni’s political affiliations.
In response, Cohen’s office said he would soon appoint a number of senior envoys, but stressed that no decision had been made yet regarding Zevuloni, who is also a supporter of Netanyahu and the ruling Likud party.
President Herzog and Netanyahu met Thursday for one of their regular briefings, which the prime minister used to update the president on Israel’s policy toward Iran, so that they are on the same page when Herzog meets with Biden. Herzog also used the opportunity to urge Netanyahu to return to negotiations brokered by the President’s Office, aimed at securing a compromise with the opposition regarding the judicial overhaul.
Herzog said Sunday that he would fly to the US on Monday night and would bring Leah Goldin — whose son Hadar was killed in the Gaza war in 2014 and whose body is being held by Hamas — with him during this week’s visit to Washington and New York City.
Goldin will be present during Herzog’s meetings in Congress and with the UN secretary-general, and will bring up the Israelis being held in Gaza, according to a statement from the president’s office.
Along with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Herzog will meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
The purpose of the visit is to strengthen ties between the two countries, the President’s Office said, and to display the depth of the bilateral relationship.
In New York, Herzog will meet UN chief Antonio Guterres, NY Governor Kathy Hochul, NYC Mayor Eric Adams, and Jewish community leaders, including a reception thrown by the UJA-Federation of New York.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
