Chairman of the Blue and White party, Knesset Member Benny Gantz, arrived in Washington on Wednesday for a visit.
During his visit, he met with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, and other senior officials, according to two American sources familiar with the matter.
Gantz’s visit to Washington is taking place in an exceptionally low profile, and his office did not inform in advance about his trip to Washington or his planned meetings.
Gantz’s meetings at the White House come against the backdrop of efforts by the Biden administration to promote a package deal with Saudi Arabia that will also include a normalization agreement with Israel.
The big picture
The White House hopes that the move will receive broad support in the Israeli political system, including among the opposition, especially in light of the fact that it may include Israeli concessions to the Palestinians.
Gantz has announced several times that if an agreement is reached with Saudi Arabia, his party will vote in favor of it in the Knesset, but will not join the coalition.
“No political consideration will override Israel’s strategic interest,” Gantz said at a conference at Reichman University in September.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who visited Washington a few weeks ago, clarified in his conversations with senior American government officials, and publicly, that he opposes an agreement that includes American approval for uranium enrichment on Saudi soil.
The White House did not like Lapid’s position on the matter, especially the fact that he expressed it in his conversations with senators from the Democratic Party, which Biden may need their support to approve the agreement.
No response was provided from Gantz’s office or the White House.
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