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fullscreen Benny Gantz, member of Israel’s War Cabinet. Archive image. Photo: Michael Varaklas/AP/TT
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s war cabinet and former defense minister, is traveling to the United States for talks with, among others, Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday.
According to American media, he will also meet the security policy advisor Jake Sullivan and representatives in Congress for both the Democrats and the Republicans.
Rumors of the trip, which have been rife for a few days, were confirmed by his staff on Saturday.
“Minister Gantz, on his own initiative, personally updated the Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu) on his intention to travel, so that they could coordinate what messages to convey in the meetings,” a statement said.
According to several Israeli media, the trip has angered Netanyahu, as he was not informed about it and thus did not approve it in advance, which is customary. According to the Times of Israel, Netanyahu “explained to Minister Gantz that Israel only has one prime minister.”