WASHINGTON – Former national security adviser Robert O’Brien said Tuesday that he and two U.S. ambassadors who served in the Trump administration met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.
John Rakolta, who served under Trump as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and Ed McMullen, who served as ambassador to Switzerland, attended the meeting. Reuters first reported the meeting.
Former President Donald Trump is the Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee in 2024, challenging President Joe Biden’s re-election. O’Brien notified the Biden administration about the trip, as it is routine for former senior officials.
The meeting came as relations between the United States and Israel reached a low point due to Biden’s decision to delay the delivery of heavy bombs. He warned that other provisions could also be suspended if Israel begins a large-scale operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
On Monday, however, both countries strongly condemned an effort by the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor to obtain arrest warrants for Israeli officials in connection with the war in Gaza. Biden said the US would support Israel.
The Gaza war has been a challenge for both leaders, whose political future is at risk.
Trump criticized Biden, accusing him of abandoning an important ally. And Biden also faces pro-Palestinian protests on campuses.
Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage. His critics blamed him for the failures of October 7th and accused him of prolonging the war for his political survival.
Trump administration advisers also met with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and other officials. ______
Gomez Licon reported from Miami.
