US Ambassador Huckabee on his meeting with Eisenkot: "It wasn't secret, I met with most of the candidates"
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee admitted to a meeting with Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, which took place over a week ago, but claimed it was not secret and that he met with most candidates out of courtesy. The meeting was not reported to the public by either side and was first published by Kan News. Meanwhile, a planned meeting between Huckabee and Prime Minister Netanyahu was canceled at the last minute by Netanyahu.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee admitted last night (Thursday) that he met with Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, but claimed the meeting was not secret and that he met with most candidates out of courtesy and to get acquainted. The meeting, which took place over a week ago, was not reported to the public by either side—neither by Eisenkot's office nor by the ambassador—and was first published last night by Kan News. A source familiar with the matter confirmed the meeting to Kan News, which had been kept secret until now. According to the source, security issues were also raised in the meeting, including tensions in the West Bank, settler violence, and the situation in the Gaza Strip. Yashar refused to comment on the meeting. Meanwhile, another meeting that Huckabee planned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was canceled at the last minute by Netanyahu. The ambassador stated that it was a completely social event, postponed due to an urgent matter the prime minister needed to handle, and that it was not a big deal.