FALCON POWERS – Amid the deep disagreement and exchange of hostile statements between the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and officials in the White House, high-level political sources in Tel Aviv revealed that the US envoy to the region, Amos Hochstein, held a meeting during his recent visit to the entity with Netanyahu, which the sources described as extremely tense.
The same sources, according to the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz on Friday, stressed that Hochstein was very angry with Netanyahu due to the latter’s attack on the US administration led by Joe Biden, adding that Hochstein conveyed a stern message from the White House to him, stating that his statements about US support for Israel are detached from reality.
They also explained that describing Netanyahu as an ingrate is the least that can be said about the behavior of the Israeli Prime Minister, and quoted the White House spokesman, John Kirby, who is known for his strong support for Israel, as saying, “The video that Netanyahu filmed and broadcast is surprising, astonishing, disappointing, strange, confusing, unclear, and puzzling. I don’t have any explanations about what the Israeli Prime Minister was thinking when he made his statements,” according to Kirby.
In addition to the above, the newspaper revealed that Hochstein held a meeting with the leader of the opposition in the occupation state and the head of the Yesh Atid party, Yair Lapid, in the latter’s office in the Knesset, where Hochstein “complained” to Lapid about Netanyahu’s behavior and told him that the United States has, since last October, sent weapons and aid to the entity worth $7.5 billion.
US aid has helped Israel develop one of the best armies in the world over the years, as this funding allows the purchase of the latest and most advanced military equipment from the United States. For example, Israel has purchased 50 F-35 fighter jets, which can be used in missile attacks, and is still awaiting the delivery of 27 more, with each one costing around $100 million.
