The Biden administration is not expected to work with the chairman of Otzma Yehudit MK Itamar Ben Gabir after he is appointed a minister in the government of Shikim Benjamin Netanyahu, so they told Walla!
Two senior American officials.
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why is it important
If the American administration does refuse to work with Ben Gabir, it will be an unprecedented development in relations between Israel and the United States that will have a very negative effect on relations between the countries.
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They hinted that there is a possibility that the administration will not work with extreme right-wing elements (photo: screenshot, Reuters)
The big picture
Ben Gabir stated that he is interested in serving as Minister of Internal Security - a position in which the holder is responsible for the Israel Police and the policy in the holy places in Jerusalem, especially the Temple Mount and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Minister of Internal Security is a position whose holder is intensively involved in a series of collaborations and contacts between Israel and the US - both in the political field regarding Jerusalem, in the civilian field in the issue of visas to the US, and in the field of security cooperation.
It is not clear whether the Biden administration will treat him in a similar way.
Smotrich, the night (Photo: TPS, Ehud Amithon)
Behind the Scenes
US Secretary of State Tony Blinken and White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan hinted during their meetings with President Herzog last week in Washington that there is a possibility that the Biden administration will not work with Ben Gabir and other extreme right-wing figures who will hold positions in the government.
Senior Israeli and American officials said that Blinken and Sullivan indicated that the Biden administration would work with the elected government in Israel but may have difficulty working with specific politicians whom they did not name.
The Biden administration is particularly concerned about the racist statements and positions of Ben Gabir and members of his party against Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and against Arab citizens of Israel.
Senior American officials said that no official decision had yet been made regarding Ben Gabir, but noted that in the discussions that took place on the subject before the elections, the intention was not to work with him if he was appointed as a minister in the government.
It is not yet clear whether the Biden administration will adopt the same policy towards MK Bezalel Smotrich and other members of their parties if they are appointed ministers.
what are they saying
A spokesman for the White House said in response: "We were happy to see such a high turnout in the Knesset elections. It is too early to speculate what the exact composition of the next coalition will be until the counting of all the votes is finally finished. We look forward to continuing to work with the Israeli government on our shared interests and values ".
2022 election
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Itamar Ben Gabir
Benjamin Netanyahu