(Adnkronos) – Strong controversy is accompanying the news of the stop to the visit of the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, to Washington. The minister’s office has in fact rejected the reconstruction according to which the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, did not authorize the trip, subordinating the approval to a meeting with Joe Biden.
According to his office, Gallant instead informed Netanyahu of the invitation received from the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, to travel to the USA, and “the two agreed” on the minister’s departure “on Tuesday evening, once the security meetings were over”.
“The Minister of Defense is a representative of Israel and of the Prime Minister” and “every trip is undertaken only after official approval”, specified Gallant’s office. Officials close to Netanyahu, quoted by public television Kan, replied that the prime minister did not cancel any trip, since he never approved it and that “Minister Gallant chose to fly (to the United States, ed) of his own accord”.
