US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to have his inaugural private meeting with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, following indications from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office that the premier had declined the senior Biden administration official’s request for a tête-à-tête.
According to Israel Hayom daily’s report yesterday, Blinken sought the private meeting with Halevi, prompting Netanyahu’s office to clarify that the IDF chief would indeed meet with the secretary as part of the premier’s discussions with the top US diplomat.
In previous wartime visits by Blinken, his interactions with Halevi were confined to meetings within the war cabinet, where the military chief participated.
The request for a private meeting with Halevi implies that Blinken anticipates a more candid assessment of the ongoing war’s status without the presence of ministers.
Halevi’s meeting is one of four engagements scheduled for Blinken tomorrow, according to the State Department’s statement.
He is slated to meet Netanyahu at 11:15 a.m., followed by Halevi at 12:15 p.m., Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at 1:30 p.m., and President Isaac Herzog at 3 p.m.
With Halevi’s meeting included, it seems there is less urgency for a separate session with the war cabinet.
Notably absent from the schedule is a meeting with war cabinet minister Benny Gantz or opposition leader Yair Lapid, although such discussions are not always listed on the agenda, leaving room for potential additions.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
