Report: US Senators Refuse To Meet Far-Right Ministers on Israel Trip
A bipartisan delegation of United States senators has reportedly refused to meet with members of the new Israeli government from the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) and Religious Zionism parties during their current visit to the country.
The new National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir leads Otzma Yehudit while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is head of Religious Zionism. Some of Israel’s allies, including the United States, have expressed concern at their inclusion in the new government headed by Binyamin Netanyahu.
According to the Axios website, delegation leader Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) informed the government that she does not wish for representatives of either party to attend any meetings she or other members of the group hold during their visit.
The website said that it was informed by officials from the Israeli Foreign Ministry that, “the delegation is not scheduled to meet any members of the far-right parties.”
The delegation comprises senators from the Abraham Accords Caucus, whose objective is to promote the 2020 treaties between Israel and Bahrain, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, dubbed the Abraham Accords as Islam and Judaism are two of the three main Abrahamic faiths. The group arrived in Israel on the last stop of a tour that included the three other signatories of the accords.
Axios said that the senators were due to meet with various Israeli officials, including Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
