Netanyahu said to have barred Herzog from appearing at Trump’s Board of Peace unveiling

The White House asked the Prime Minister’s Office several times to allow Israeli President Isaac Herzog to sit on the stage in Davos for the Board of Peace unveiling ceremony on Thursday, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused the requests, Axios reported Saturday.

According to the report, which cited two sources familiar with the details, Netanyahu argued that Trump’s invitation was for him, and not for Herzog, vetoing the president’s participation. Herzog did not end up attending the event.

The US had hoped that a top Israeli official’s presence would show that the Board of Peace and its plans for Gaza have broad support from both Arab and Muslim leaders, who attended the ceremony, and from Israel, the report said.

Jerusalem has publicly indicated its dissatisfaction with Washington’s decision to appoint senior officials from Turkey and Qatar to the Gaza Executive Board, an arm of the Board of Peace that is poised to play a much greater role than its parent body in the oversight of postwar Gaza. The Board of Peace, made up of state or government leaders, will likely only meet a handful of times each year.

An Israeli official has told The Times of Israel that Netanyahu accepted Trump’s invitation to join the Board of Peace despite significant qualms, as the Israeli leader has been left with no choice in the matter due to his reliance on the American president.

Netanyahu could not attend the World Economic Forum, as Switzerland is party to the International Criminal Court and had said it would enforce the ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu if he landed on Swiss territory.

Two days before the ceremony, on Tuesday, the White House approached the Prime Minister’s Office and suggested that Herzog serve as Israel’s representative on stage, the report said, a suggestion Netanyahu rejected.

The next day, the White House again called Netanyahu and his aides “several” times, the report said, asking to allow Herzog to attend the event.

Calling the conversations “tense and difficult,” the sources told Axios that Netanyahu again rebuffed the White House’s requests, which continued until just hours before Thursday’s signing ceremony.

Ultimately, the report said, the White House chose not to “go to war” with the premier over the issue, instead choosing to focus its efforts on pressuring Netanyahu to agree to open the Rafah Border Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

According to Axios, the disagreement caused tensions between the Prime Minister’s Office and the President’s Residence, as well as between the White House and Netanyahu’s office.

Despite the report’s framing, Herzog is not subordinate to Netanyahu and the president does not require a go-ahead from the prime minister for moves such as attending events.

The Prime Minister’s Office, Herzog’s office and the White House all declined to comment on the report.