Biden administration officials will not meet with Israeli Treasury Secretary Bezalel Smotrich, who has called for the destruction of a Palestinian village, Jewish News reported on March 3.
Smotrich will visit the United States next week to meet with the leaders of the US Israel Bonds organization.
At least five liberal Jewish groups want the US government to consider banning Smotrich’s visit. Ministry spokesman Ned Price said questions about Israeli ministers’ travel should be directed to Israel and that he does not comment on people’s right to enter the United States.
The trip comes as Smotrich and his far-right allies in Israel’s ruling coalition violated comity between major American Jewish groups and Israel. Those relations have grown even more tense in recent days after Israeli settlers from the West Bank rioted in the Palestinian village of Huwara.
The executive director of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, William Daroff, called Smotrich’s comments “disgusting”, and a spokesman for the US-Israel Public Affairs Committee said he would not meet with Smotrich.
Asked by the Jewish Telegraph Agency if the minister would meet White House officials, a spokesman for the National Security Council said: “No meetings with the United States government are scheduled on this trip”.
Smotrich is also responsible for civil affairs in much of the West Bank. His call to “annihilate” the West Bank village of Huwara came after settlers rioted in the village following a shootout that killed two Israeli brothers.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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