The US Embassy in Jerusalem is continuing its disrespect to the Netanyahu government as Israel approaches the Jewish New Year.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism party) and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit party) were both passed over when the embassy sent invitation to Israeli government ministers for its annual toast to honor the upcoming new year.
All the other ministers in the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were invited, according to Israel’s Channel 13 News.
In response to the report, the Embassy said in a statement that the guest list “includes only those who have close working ties with the Embassy.”
Smotrich and Ben-Gvir were similarly excluded from the Embassy’s guest list for its Fourth of July celebration, as was Avi Maoz, of the Noam party.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) declined to comment when JewishPress.com reached out.
The prime minister, who has yet to receive an invitation to the White since taking office last year for his sixth term, is facing a similar boycott by the Biden Administration.
Despite a conversation in July between President Joe Biden and Israel’s prime minister in which Netanyahu said Biden had invited him to meet “soon” in the United States, the date for the promised meeting has yet to be set, nor is it clear that the two men will meet in the White House.
In contrast, Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid party) was warmly received in Washington DC this week.
Biden spoke with Lapid a week ago to “consult on global and regional security challenges, including threats posed by Iran,” in a conversation that clearly seemed aimed at replacing Israel’s elected head of state with his opposition rival.
Lapid met Tuesday (Sept. 5) in Washington with senior White House officials and advisers to President Biden, including US energy envoy Amos Hochstein and US special envoy to the Middle East, Brett McGurk, before returning to Israel later that evening.
