Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Israeli Ambassador to the USA Danny Ayalon Talked today (Sunday) with Gadi Ness on Radio North 104.5fm about the cold reception expected for the Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich in the USA in the background of the statement of the US ambassador to Israel Tom Neides, who called for Smotrich to be thrown from the plane, and estimated: “Just as in the past they let Ahmadinejad arrive, in the end they will also let Smotrich arrive.”
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According to him, “It should be said honestly – he did not say it publicly, it was in a conversation behind closed doors. However, Smotrich and people like him have been labeled in Washington for a long time – they are seen as racists and instigators and provocateurs. When they were in the opposition it was fine, but As a senior minister in the Israeli government, this obligates the entire government. Therefore, they would be very happy if he did not come to Washington. In my opinion, just as they let Ahmadinejad come in the past, in the end they will also let Smotrich come. The comparison is not about the people, but about not coming their.”
Later, he explained: “For people who, in their view, are not worthy, they give them the visa for a few kilometers around the place where they have to appear and meet, not beyond that. In my opinion, the same could be done to Smotrich – he earned it honestly. After all, they are not examining a leader According to his voters, but according to his actions. This is something that is important to understand.”
In conclusion, he added: “They ask me why they don’t invite Netanyahu. The answer is that he is the leader of a government that in Washington does not see him as a leader, but as a led. He is not considered reliable as a government leader. After all, there is a very organized and deeply rooted political culture there – certainly when it comes to a democratic government. I heard People in Washington are also angry with Netanyahu because he did not go against Smotrich’s words. We expect a leader to be much more balanced, to be calm and not lose his temper.”