Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuked a top Israeli cabinet minister as he flew to Washington on Sunday for talks with US officials.
An Israeli official gave this information. This is a sign of growing rift within Israel’s wartime government, nearly five months after the war with Hamas.
Netanyahu’s centrist political rival Benny Gantz joined Netanyahu’s government in the early days of the war after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year.
His US visit comes at a time when there is deep disagreement between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden over how to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Gaza ceasefire negotiations were underway in Egypt, but an Israeli government official said Israel did not send any delegation because Netanyahu had not received answers from Hamas on two questions.
According to Israeli media, there is a list of surviving hostages and the number of Palestinian prisoners that Hamas demands in exchange for each hostage.
International mediators hope to reach an agreement before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan around March 10.
The US airdropped relief supplies into Gaza on Saturday after dozens of Palestinians were killed trying to get food from trucks last week.
US priorities in the region are increasingly being constrained by Netanyahu’s hardline-dominated Cabinet.
The Netanyahu government is dominated by hardline nationalists. Gantz’s more moderate party sometimes serves as a balancing act in the face of Netanyahu’s hardline allies.
An official from Netanyahu’s Likud party said Gantz’s visit was taking place without the Israeli prime minister’s permission.
He said Netanyahu spoke in “harsh” terms with Gantz about the visit and told him the country had “only one prime minister.” An Israeli official said Gantz had informed Netanyahu of his intention to visit the US and share the message with him.
The official said the visit was aimed at strengthening ties with Washington, seeking support for Israel’s ground campaign and pushing for the release of Israelis held hostage in Gaza.
According to Gantz’s ‘National Unity Party’, he will meet US Vice President Kamala Harris and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
Netanyahu’s government is also troubled by a court ruling on a new bill to expand military conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jews, many of whom are exempted from pursuing religious studies.
Hundreds of Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 7, and the army is trying to recruit soldiers.