Israeli PM Netanyahu 'will not travel' to US next week, his office says
On Wednesday, an Israeli official had told Al-Monitor that Netanyahu was planning to travel on Saturday and meet with President Donald Trump next week and attend the memorial service for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
WASHINGTON —The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the premier's planned visit to the United States has been canceled.
On Wednesday, an Israeli official told Al-Monitor that Netanyahu was planning to travel on Saturday and meet with President Donald Trump next week and attend the memorial service for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
But his office announced change of plans on Thursday. "As Senator Graham's funeral has been postponed until the end of the month, Prime Minister Netanyahu will not travel to the United States next week," the statement said.
The South Carolina senator, who died on Saturday at 71, was among Israel’s strongest backers on Capitol Hill and was a staunch advocate of the US-Israeli war against Iran. In a statement after Graham's death, Netanyahu said, "Israel has lost one of its greatest friends."
Netanyahu’s plans come as the ceasefire between Iran and the United States has effectively collapsed amid renewed strikes over the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran initially closed after the US and Israel launched their war on Feb. 28.
On Tuesday, Trump hosts Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House — the first such visit by a Lebanese head of state since 2009.
After a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was reached in April, Trump invited both leaders to Washington for peace talks. Aoun has ruled out meeting Netanyahu before an agreement is fully reached to end the war. On March 2, Hezbollah fired on Israel in solidarity with Iran, triggering Israeli airstrikes and a ground operation in southern Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Lebanese and Israeli officials concluded a sixth round of US-brokered talks in Rome focused on implementing a framework agreement that calls for the phased withdrawal of the Israeli military from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army to disarm Hezbollah. Two areas in southern Lebanon have been designated as "pilot zones."
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a State Department official said in a statement Wednesday that the two-day talks were “positive and productive.”
“We agreed on the structure and guidelines for the pilot zone process to be finalized and implemented in the coming days,” the official said. “We will now move to expanded technical talks.”
This story has been updated to reflect the statement from Netanyahu's office.
