After canceling a delegation to the White House in the wake of a UN Security Council vote calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu says the delegation is back on.
Bibi will send two top Israeli officials to the White House to discuss military operations in Rafah — one of the last strongholds for terror group Hamas.
Netanyahu originally canceled the delegation after the U.S. failed to veto the UN’s resolution.
From Axios:
The fallout over the canceled trip and a deadlock in hostage talks added to already spiraling relations between Netanyahu and the Biden administration.
“The Prime Minister’s office has said they’d like to reschedule the meeting dedicated to Rafah,” a U.S. official said.
“We are now working with them to set a convenient date. The Prime Minister’s office is in touch with us to reschedule. It’s likely to be fairly soon but I don’t have a date to announce.”
Netanyahu is expected to send his close confidants Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.
Netanyahu issued the following statement after a meeting in his office in Jerusalem with GOP Senator Rick Scott (R-FL).
“My decision not to send the delegation to Washington in the wake of that resolution was a message to Hamas: Don’t bet on this pressure, it’s not going to work. I hope they got the message,” Netanyahu said.
Meanwhile, a growing number of Americans now disapprove of Israel’s actions in Gaza as the Biden Administration has grown increasingly critical of our ally’s attempt to wipe out Hamas.
A majority of Americans (55%) disapprove of Israel's military actions in Gaza, a new Gallup poll finds.
It's a stark shift since November, when half of Americans approved.
https://t.co/piPGbL2CrH— Axios (@axios) March 27, 2024