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WH Invites Israel Officials to US 03/28 06:13
Talks have restarted aimed at bringing top Israeli officials to Washington
to discuss potential military operations in Gaza, after Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu canceled a planned visit this week because he was angry about the
U.S. vote on a U.N. cease-fire resolution, the White House said Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Talks have restarted aimed at bringing top Israeli
officials to Washington to discuss potential military operations in Gaza, after
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned visit this week because he
was angry about the U.S. vote on a U.N. cease-fire resolution, the White House
said Wednesday.
"So we're now working with them to find a convenient date that's obviously
going to work for both sides," said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
No date has been finalized yet. One U.S. official said strategic affairs
minister Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi would be among
the delegation to come to Washington. The official were not authorized to speak
publicly about the sensitive discussions and spoke to The Associated Press on
condition of anonymity.
An Israeli official said the White House had reached out with the goal of
setting a new meeting. The official was not authorized to talk to the media and
spoke on condition of anonymity. Netanyahu's office said the prime minister
"did not authorize the departure of the delegation to Washington."
The prime minister canceled the trip this week after the U.N. vote to demand
a cease-fire in Hamas-run Gaza; the U.S. abstained from the vote but did not
veto it. Netanyahu accused the United States of "retreating" from a "principled
position" by allowing the resolution to pass without conditioning the
cease-fire on the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The delegation to the U.S. was meant to discuss a promised ground invasion
of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which is overflowing with displaced
civilians. Israel has so far rejected American appeals to call off the planned
operation.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was already in Washington by the time
Netanyahu canceled the trip by other officials. Gallant met with Biden's
national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The Gaza operation was one of many topics they
discussed.
Netanyahu on Wednesday said his decision to cancel was meant to deliver a
message to Hamas that international pressure against Israel will not prompt it
to end the war without concessions from the militant group, an apparent attempt
to smooth over the clash between the allies.
Speaking to visiting Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Netanyahu said the canceled
visit "was a message first and foremost to Hamas: Don't bet on this pressure,
it's not going to work."
Netanyahu said the U.S. abstention on the U.N. vote was "very, very bad,"
and that it "encouraged Hamas to take a hard line and to believe that
international pressure will prevent Israel" from achieving its war aims. Israel
wants to destroy Hamas' military and governing capabilities and free the
hostages taken by the militant group during its Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
The U.S. abstention and Netanyahu's subsequent decision to cancel the
delegation represented the strongest public dispute between the two allies
since the war in Gaza began.
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