Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with a series of senior US administration officials at the White House, Thursday, in the first such visit by an Israeli politician since US President Joe Biden took office.
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Among the officials Gantz met with were National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Gantz was also set to meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon.
In his meetings with the US officials, Gantz emphasized the need to consolidate a military option vis-à-vis Iran and increase oversight of Iran's nuclear armament.
In addition, Gantz spoke of the need for a new policy for the Gaza Strip.
"What was is not what will be," he said.
He told the Americans there was an immediate need to bolster the Palestinian Authority's standing in Gaza and alliances with moderates.
In light of efforts to reach a long-term ceasefire following the IDF's Operation Guardian of the Walls, Gantz discussed with Sullivan and Blinken the issue of the return of Israeli captives held by Hamas as a condition for Gaza's rehabilitation.
Following his meeting with Sullivan, Gantz tweeted: "We talked about the need to promote regional stability by halting Iranian aggressiveness, while strengthening the alliance of moderates and protecting Israel's QME [qualitative military edge].
In a joint statement ahead of his meeting with Blinken, Gantz said, "It's a real pleasure to be here and reconvey Israel's appreciation for the administration, for the president, for yourself, for the ongoing support, which is very important for us in our challenging area. I'm looking forward to discuss, as we have discussed before, the challenges that we have with Iran, with the Palestinians. As far as Gaza concerned, we do look for stability and prosperity for everybody. And as defense minister, I think the combination between moving forward with reconstruction and making sure that everything stays secure – it's very important for me."
Blinken said he was "very happy today to have the opportunity to pursue that conversation, to talk about the United States's enduring commitment to Israel security, to talk about some of the needs that Israel has in that regard; also to talk about the work that needs to be done to move forward on humanitarian assistance to and reconstruction for Gaza and for the Palestinians living there and to look across the board at the many issues that we have on our agenda."
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