Israel’s Dermer in Washington for White House talks

January 9, 2023
Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer arrived in Washington on Monday for talks with senior Biden administration officials, marking the first visit to the United States by a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government since it took office in late December.
Dermer, a close confidant of Netanyahu and former ambassador to the United States, was set to meet with senior White House and State Department officials on Monday before heading to Miami, Florida, for an honorary dinner with local Jewish organizations, two Israeli sources told Al-Monitor. His visit was first reported earlier on Monday by journalist Barak Ravid.
The meetings in Washington will reportedly focus on Iran, the Palestinian issue and expanding the Abraham Accords between Israel and its Arab neighbors. A spokesperson for the US National Security Council declined to confirm the visit.
Why it matters: Dermer is considered Netanyahu’s closest associate within the new Cabinet, and is likely to play a key role in its effort to sustain good ties with the Biden administration, which has warned the new right-wing government against any attempt to annex parts of the West Bank.
Netanyahu had appointed Likud veteran Eli Cohen as foreign minister (in rotation with Israel Katz), but Israeli media reports claim that Dermer is expected to serve as de facto foreign minister. He is expected to become Netanyahu’s main channel to the White House.
As ambassador to the United States during Netanyahu’s previous time in office, Dermer was considered especially close to the Donald Trump administration. The Biden administration has privately hinted that it may not work with newly appointed far-right Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, but has not indicated that they will refuse to work with Dermer.
Dermer has been invited as honorary guest to the March of the Living gala dinner organized by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation on Tuesday evening. The invitation to Dermer was extended well before he was appointed to his ministerial position. It now appears that he had decided to combine his Miami event participation with meetings in Washington either Monday evening or Tuesday morning.
What’s next: Dermer’s visit comes ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s trips to Israel. The State Department has not communicated yet the exact date of Blinken’s visit, apparently by the end of January. Reports in Israel claim that Sullivan will arrive Jan. 19.
Tensions have been growing between Jerusalem and Washington since Netanyahu established his government, especially in recent days following the visit of Ben-Gvir to the Temple Mount a week ago.
The Biden administration was quick to slam Ben-Gvir’s visit as “unacceptable.”
“The United States stands firmly for preservation of the historic status quo with respect to the holy sites in Jerusalem. We oppose any unilateral actions that undercut the historic status quo. They are unacceptable,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
On Friday, Sullivan said that in his expected talks in Israel, with Netanyahu and with other senior officials, he would be “clear and direct” on the administration’s opposition to policies that undermine a potential two-state solution.
With reporting from Jared Szuba in Washington, D.C.