The White House has cancelled a high-level meeting with Israel that was scheduled for Thursday following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s release of a video alleging that the U.S. is withholding military aid from Israel, according to a recent report.
President Biden’s top advisers were reportedly shocked and outraged by Netanyahu’s accusations that the U.S. has withheld weapons and ammunition from Israel. A senior Israeli official told Axios, “The Americans are fuming. Bibi’s video did a lot of damage.”
In response to the video, U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein delivered a personal message informing Netanyahu that his claims were incorrect and inappropriate. Shortly after this exchange, the White House cancelled a Thursday meeting on Iran, as confirmed by two U.S. and Israeli sources to Axios.
In his video, Netanyahu, speaking in English, stated that it was “inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition to Israel.” This declaration caused significant confusion and concern within the U.S. administration.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre publicly expressed confusion over Netanyahu’s comments, stating that only one weapons shipment had been paused since the start of the conflict. “We genuinely do not know what he is talking about,” she noted.
According to the report, several Israeli officials were already en route to Washington when the meetings on Iran were cancelled. While two U.S. officials indicated that the meeting was cancelled as a direct message about the video, a third official suggested that it was postponed due to a scheduling conflict.
This incident marks the second time a meeting on the Iran strategic dialogue has been cancelled at the last minute. In March, Netanyahu cancelled a meeting after the U.S. declined to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution that included a reference to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Despite the strained relations between President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Israeli leader is expected to address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24. This speech is anticipated to be contentious, occurring at a critical moment in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
