Israeli, US defense chiefs meet on sidelines of NATO meeting

PARIS — Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met Thursday in Brussels, on the margins of the NATO defense ministers’ meeting, to discuss Iran, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu banned Gallant from traveling to Washington for such a meeting.

Before departing for Belgium, Gallant said that he expects to discuss with Austin "the implementation of the joint commitment of both our countries to make sure Iran will never possess nuclear military capabilities."

Before his meeting with Austin, Gallant met with European Union Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi and with leaders of the Belgium Jewish community. 

The Brussels meeting took place on the backdrop of reports on Walla news outlet that the United States was engaged in indirect talks with Iran, mediated by Omani officials, in order to reach an informal nuclear deal with Iran, possibly defined as “a mini agreement” or “an understanding” instead of “an agreement.” The Jerusalem Post quoted on Tuesday Netanyahu telling the Knesset Foreign Affairs Committee that the Biden administration is determined to reach such a deal, that it was now awaiting Tehran’s response and that there was little chance it was going to change its mind. 

The meeting of Gallant and Austin in Brussels has been in the works for several weeks now, with the approval of Netanyahu. The fact that it took place in Brussels reinforces the credibility of a May 3 report on Israel’s Channel 12, that Netanyahu had banned Gallant on two occasions from traveling to the United States, as long as he himself does not get an invitation to visit the White House and meet with President Joe Biden — an invitation yet to be extended. 

Other reports at the time suggested Netanyahu banned all his Cabinet ministers from traveling to the US before he himself travels there, but these proved to be incorrect. Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, widely considered in Israel as Netanyahu’s closest associate, traveled to Washington recently, meeting June 1 at the White House with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Several other ministers traveled to the US at the beginning of June to participate in an annual Israel-support demonstration in New York. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog is expected to visit Washington next month to address both houses of Congress. He will also meet with Biden at the White House. 

Relations between the Biden administration and the Netanyahu Cabinet have been strained from the outset, mainly over the prime minister's far-right coalition partners, the controversial judicial overhaul plan pushed by the government and its pro-settlement policies. As such, the Biden administration refuses to be in contact with far-right Israeli ministers —such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir — and, as mentioned, Netanyahu has yet to be invited to the White House. Gallant, on the other hand, viewed as more moderate, is considered by the Biden administration — together with Dermer — as one of its preferred interlocutors within the Israeli Cabinet. 

Netanyahu’s ban on Gallant traveling to Washington before him has been harshly criticized within Israel’s security system. Gallant and Austin have spoken on the phone on several occasions since the establishment of the Israeli government, but security experts insist that face-to-face meetings are essential to establish a special relationship between the two men. For many years, this has traditionally been the case between Israeli defense ministers and their US counterparts. 

Gallant was set to travel to Europe in any case, for the June 18 opening of the Israeli pavilion at the bi-annual Paris Air Show. Several Israeli military companies traditionally showcase at the aerospace and defense fair, and Israeli defense ministers have participated in the event in the past. Austin had traveled to Paris at the beginning of June for the D-Day commemoration events on June 6, but was scheduled to travel again to Europe for the NATO ministerial meeting in Belgium on June 15.