Senior US administration officials told ABC News on Wednesday that Israel’s national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer were traveling from Israel to Washington to meet with national security adviser Jake Sullivan at the White House on Thursday. The visit by Hanegbi and Dermer takes place after the White House cancelled a high-level meeting which the two were supposed to hold in Washington, in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s video in which he claimed the US was withholding military aid. The high-level meeting was to have focused on Israel’s security, including the threat from Iran, and administration officials quoted in the report said that the US is looking to reschedule it. While Biden administration officials are saying that that high-level meeting was never fully finalized on the schedule, other sources inside the White House say there was frustration over Netanyahu’s video and it did affect the decision not to hold the meeting. In Tuesday’s video, Netanyahu expressed astonishment at moves from the Biden Administration to hold up munitions shipments to Israel during the war against Hamas. "When Secretary Blinken was recently here in Israel, we had a candid conversation, I said I deeply appreciated the support the US has given Israel from the beginning of the war," Netanyahu said. "But I also said something else, I said it's inconceivable that in the past few months, the administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel. Israel, America's closest ally, [is] fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and our other common enemies," he added. "Secretary Blinken assured me that the administration is working day and night to remove these bottlenecks. I certainly hope that's the case. It should be the case,” continued Netanyahu. Later, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reacted with seeming bewilderment to Netanyahu's statement. Related articles: 'I don't understand why Israel gave up Gaza' 'Israel has right to live in heart of Biblical homeland' Netanyahu lands in Washington, meets US Commerce Secretary Netanyahu leaves for US to talk to Trump about tariffs "We genuinely do not know what he is talking about. We just don't," she told reporters. "There was one particular shipment of munitions that was paused." "We continue to have these constructive discussions with Israelis for the release of that particular shipment," she added. "There are no other pauses, none, no other poses or hold in place. Everything else is moving in due process."
