There is no plan for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Washington, Olivia Dalton, White House principal deputy press secretary, told reporters during a gaggle on Air Force One en route this afternoon to Durham, N.C.
“Israeli leaders have a long history, tradition of visiting Washington, and Prime Minister Netanyahu will likely take a visit at some point. But there’s nothing currently planned,” said Dalton, according to a White House transcript.
In response to another question, the White House spokeswoman said, “We welcomed the decision to delay the implementation of the judicial reform plan. We thought that gives important space and time for compromise and dialogue. And as we’ve said all along, we believe that’s incredibly important.”
Another question focused on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s plan to visit Israel in April, right before the Knesset reopens its debate on judicial reform.
“Is there a concern at all that this issue, Israeli democracy, will become a partisan matter here in the United States? And what are you doing to ensure that your response remains bipartisan?” the reporter asked.
“I—I can—I’m not sure that—that, you know—I think you saw the president spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu just last week. They have—they have been in touch many times. We are in regular touch with the Israeli government,” Dalton said, per the White House readout.
“They know our strong views about the importance of democracy to the U.S.-Israeli partnership. They know where we stand on—on this issue,” she added. “And I think that’s—that’s where I’m going to leave it. I don’t think I have any comment on speculating on whether the governor of Florida is traveling to Israel and what that might mean.”
