US 'fuming' over Netanyahu's video, cancels high-level meeting with Israeli officials

The White House has cancelled a crucial high-level meeting between the US and Israel security officials on Iran scheduled for Thursday in Washington DC. The decision came after Netanyahu released a video on Tuesday in which he claimed that the US was “withholding” arms supply to Israel.

Why did the US cancelled meeting with Israel?

A report by Axios cited two US officials saying that the high-level talks have been cancelled to send a clear message to Netanyahu that such remarks against the Biden administration were not acceptable.

“This decision makes it clear that there are consequences for pulling such stunts,” one of the US officials was quoted as saying by Axios.

Americans are fuming

US President Joe Biden’s team was “angry and shocked” by Netanyahu’s video. “The Americans are fuming. Bibi’s video made a lot of damage,” Axios quoted a senior Israeli official as saying.

Meanwhile, a top Israeli official agreed to the report, stating that “the Americans are fuming. [Netanyahu’s] video made a lot of damage.”

What did Netanyahu say in the video?

In the video, Netanyahu said that Israel, the staunch ally of the US, is fighting against the common enemies, including Iran.

“When Secretary Blinken was recently here in Israel, we had a candid conversation. I said, I deeply appreciated the support the US has given Israel from the beginning of the war. But I also said something else, I said it’s inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunition to Israel."

“Israel, America’s closest ally, fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and other common enemies. Secretary Blinken assured me that the administration is working day and night to remove these bottlenecks. I certainly hope that’s the case. It should be the case,” he said.

“During World War II, Churchill told the United States, ‘give us the tools, we will do the job’ and I say, ‘give us the tools and we will finish the job a lot faster,” Netanyahu said.

What did White House say?

The White House expressed bafflement, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stating that only one weapons shipment had been paused since the war began, while billions of dollars of weapons had flowed unimpeded.

“We genuinely do not know what he is talking about,” she said.

Netanyahu conveyed about US disappointment over his video

The Axios sources further said that Biden’s senior advisors were infuriated by Netanyahu’s video, which US ambassador Amos Hochstein personally conveyed to the Israeli prime minister in a meeting just hours after it was released.

The White House, subsequently, took a severe measure and called off the meeting.

The decision to call off the high-level meeting was announced when several Israeli officials were said to have already been on their way to Washington.

  Biden’s top advisers have also cancelled the strategic dialogue on Iran, which was to include hours of meetings between officials from the State Department, Pentagon and US intelligence agencies as well as their Israeli counterparts.

  As per Axios report, this is the second time a meeting of the Iran strategic dialogue was canceled at the last minute.

  In March it was Netanyahu who backed out, after the US declined to veto a UN Security Council resolution that included a reference to a ceasefire in Gaza.