In an escalating diplomatic rift, the White House has canceled a high-level US-Israel meeting on Iran that was scheduled for Thursday, according to reports from Axios. This move comes in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's video claiming the US was withholding military aid, which enraged President Joe Biden's top advisors.
As Axios reports, a US official stated, "This decision makes it clear that there are consequences for pulling such stunts." An Israeli official acknowledged the gravity of the situation, saying, "The Americans are fuming. Bibi's video made a lot of damage," using Netanyahu's nickname.
Video: PM Netanyahu attacks Biden over arms / X/@israelipm
In the video, Netanyahu said, in English, that it was "inconceivable" to have the US withhold weapons and ammunition over the past few months considering Israel's status as America's closest ally and its fight against Iran and other common adversaries. However, as Axios notes, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre publicly expressed bafflement, stating, "We genuinely do not know what he is talking about," and clarifying that only one weapons shipment had been paused, while billions of dollars of weapons had flowed unimpeded. Israeli sources told Jewish Insider that there was more than one shipment being delayed, although they did not elaborate.
According to Axios, US envoy Amos Hochstein, who was already scheduled to meet Netanyahu, personally conveyed the administration's anger and informed the prime minister that his accusations were inaccurate and out of line. Subsequently, Biden's top advisors decided to cancel the strategic dialogue on Iran, which was to involve extensive meetings with officials from various US agencies and their Israeli counterparts.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responds to Netanyahu's statement that the US should remove bottlenecks for highly destructive weapons to Israel, ensuring that it was only one shipment and "everything else is moving in due process." pic.twitter.com/tutW9I116A
— The News Room (@TheNewsRoom0) June 19, 2024
As Axios reports, relations between Biden and Netanyahu's teams are now more strained than at any point since the war in Gaza began on October 7. However, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will still meet his Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi, and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's visit is scheduled for early next week.
Axios highlights that this is the second time a meeting of the Iran strategic dialogue has been canceled at the last minute, recounting that in March, it was Netanyahu who pulled the plug after the US declined to veto a UN Security Council resolution that included a reference to a ceasefire in Gaza.
