The White House has confirmed that US officials do not plan to meet with Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich during his visit to Washington in light of continued anger after his call to “wipe out” the Palestinian city.
According to the Times of Israel, Smotrich’s visit to Washington to address the Israel Bonds conference March 12-14 continues. The organization rejected the minister’s calls to cancel the invitation, but a National Security Council spokesman at the White House confirmed Ying’s statement that “there are no scheduled US government meetings during the Israeli minister’s visit.”
Responding to calls to deny Smotrich a visa to enter the United States, State Department spokesman Ned Price said: “We are not talking about visa records for individuals or the eligibility of a particular person for a visa to the United States, but we will nevertheless continue to make it clear that we reject Smotrich’s statements, as before, and appreciate the condemnation we have heard from our Israeli partners.”
Smotrich previously stated that he “believes that the Palestinian village of Hawara should be destroyed and that Israel should do so”, prompting a wave of condemnation from Israel, the Palestinians and the international community.
UN Secretary-General’s spokesman António Guterres called the minister’s statements “provocative, inflammatory, unacceptable and inconsistent with any UN resolution”, calling on all parties to refrain from incitement, fiery rhetoric and provocation.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Cooperation Council also issued statements condemning Smotrich’s statements.
Source: Times of Israel.