Despite US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's public schedule saying he was set to meet IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi for a private meeting, the Prime Minister's Office made it clear that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be present as well.
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On Tuesday Israel Hayom reported on Blinken making the unusual request to be briefed by Halevi one-on-one rather than as part of a meeting with the War Cabinet.
An official told Israel Hayom that a meeting between a foreign minister and a military official without a civilian official present was not common practice in international relations and therefore Netanyahu's office refused to approve a private meeting between Blinken and the chief of staff. "Israel is not a banana republic," the official said.
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