US Ambassador Admits Meeting With Israeli Candidate, Denies Secrecy
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
U.S. Ambassador confirmed meeting with Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Gadi Eisenkot, denying it was secret and calling it a courtesy. The meeting, which discussed security issues, was not publicly disclosed by either party until it was reported. Meanwhile, a planned meeting between the U.S. Ambassador and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was abruptly canceled, with the ambassador attributing it to an urgent matter for Netanyahu.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- U.S. Ambassador confirmed meeting with Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Gadi Eisenkot.
- The U.S. Ambassador stated the meeting was not secret and was a courtesy to get acquainted.
- The meeting, which included discussions on security matters, was kept confidential until reported.
- A planned meeting between the U.S. Ambassador and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was canceled last minute.
- The Ambassador described the canceled Netanyahu meeting as a social event postponed due to an urgent matter.
U.S. Ambassador acknowledged on Thursday that he met with Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, but asserted the meeting was not secret. The U.S. Ambassador stated he met with most candidates out of courtesy and to get acquainted, characterizing the encounter with Eisenkot as a routine social event. However, neither the U.S. Embassy in Israel nor Yisrael Beiteinu had reported the meeting, which occurred over a week prior to the news breaking on Wednesday. This was reportedly the first and only meeting between the two, held in anticipation of upcoming elections. A source familiar with the matter confirmed the meeting to Kan News, noting it was kept confidential until now and that security issues, including tensions in the West Bank, settler violence, and the situation in Gaza, were discussed. Yisrael Beiteinu declined to comment on the meeting. Separately, a planned meeting between the U.S. Ambassador and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was canceled at the last minute. According to a source, Netanyahu canceled the meeting, and no new date has been set. The Ambassador described the cancellation as a social event postponed due to an urgent matter Netanyahu had to address, dismissing any suggestion of deeper significance as "ridiculous and utterly false."
