Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled this week’s meeting with President Donald Trump amid apparent tensions with the American government.
Netanyahu cancelled his plans to visit the U.S. due to a scheduling conflict surrounding the late Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral, i24NEWS reported Thursday. However, some say the real reason could have more to do with another kind of conflict.
“Right now, Netanyahu isn’t interested in a White House photo-op,” a source familiar with the situation told i24NEWS. “[I]t’s simply not the right timing.”
The White House, U.S. Department of State, and Israel’s foreign press department did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Netanyahu initially planned to meet with Trump in a Saturday through Tuesday visit for the funeral of Sen. Graham — whom he called “a great friend of Israel and a great friend of mine” in a Fox & Friends interview the day after the senator’s July 11 death. While Netanyahu reportedly still plans to attend Graham’s funeral that was rescheduled to July 28, it is not immediately clear if he still plans to arrange a meeting with the American president around that time.
This comes amid apparent tensions between his administration and the White House regarding ongoing operations in the Middle East.
President Trump is reportedly “p***** off” by remarks Netanyahu made during a Fox News interview on June 13 criticizing Trump being willing to sell F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, according to Axios.
Vice President JD Vance has also expressed his grievances about the Israeli government’s apparent role in prolonging the Iran War. While Vance says he trusts some people within the Israeli government, others “are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely,” he told Joe Rogan during the podcaster’s show on July 15.
Heading toward the midterms, approximately 60% of Americans disapprove of Israel, the Pew Research Center reported in April. This is a 7% leap from last year.
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