Netanyahu had refused: Blinken to hold one-on-one meeting with Israeli Chief of Staff Halevi
It has been reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold a one-on-one meeting with Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi today, despite a negative response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.
AA
According to a report in the Times of Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had requested to meet one-on-one with Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, applying to Netanyahu's office for the meeting.
It was reported that the Prime Minister's Office rejected this request and suggested that Blinken could meet with Halevi during his meeting with Netanyahu.
Despite the rejection from Netanyahu's office, it was noted that Blinken will hold a one-on-one meeting with the Israeli Chief of Staff today.
The newspaper wrote that the request for a private meeting with Halevi stemmed from Blinken's belief that Halevi could provide a "more honest" analysis of the current situation regarding the attacks on the Gaza Strip without ministers present in the room.
The report also pointed out that Blinken had not held a one-on-one meeting with Halevi during his previous visits to Israel since October 7.
According to information provided by the U.S. Department of State, Blinken will first meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu today as part of his visit to Israel.
Blinken will then hold a one-on-one meeting with Israeli Chief of Staff Halevi.